Posted: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 12:00 am
The first of three public meetings on a new Development Code for the city is an open house scheduled for 3 to 7 p.m. today at the Santiam Travel Station, 750 S. Third St.
The public meetings are the final steps of a code update process that began nearly three and one-half years ago.
The new code was developed to completely replace the existing 1980 Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances. It also incorporates the Historical Preservation and Flood Damage Preservation Ordinances.
The other meetings are:
€ A public hearing before the Planning Commission at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, followed by a decision on whether to recommend adoption of the new code to the City Council.
€ A public hearing before the Lebanon City Council at 7 p.m. on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. followed by the council's decision on whether or not to adopt the Development Code.
The hearings also will be held at the Santiam Travel Station.
In 2005, the City Council made updating the city's land use regulations a priority for city staff. A technical advisory committee was appointed, comprised of people with specific knowledge and expertise in development and land use activities. They included local builders, developers and engineers, as well as representatives from the Fire District, Police Department, Oregon Department of Transportation, City Council, Planning Commission, and city departments. After meeting at least once a month, the group completed its final review of the new draft Development Code in February 2008.
A legal review and audit of the draft development code was conducted and completed by the law firm of Beery, Elsner & Hammond.
The new code is available for inspection at the City's Community Development Center, 853 Main Street, and at the Public Library, 626 Second Street. It also is available online at www.ci.lebanon.or.us.
Comments will be taken at the public hearings or may be submitted via mail to the City of Lebanon Planning Division, 853 Main Street, Lebanon OR 97355; or by e-mail to the Planning Division at jbilyeu@ci.lebanon.or.us.
For more information on the development code or the adoption process, contact the Lebanon Planning Office at 258-4906.