Minutes 02/14/1989 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1989 To meet the current and future housing needs of the City, there is a need for the City to commit to a fair and effective plan of action tO address the overall housing situation in the City. Private enterprise must play an active and vital role in such a plan. The City, even though limited by law, can be involved through providing incentive mechanisms and removing impediments to housing development. The key is a private/public partnership arrangement. RECOMMENDATIONS After serious consideration of all of our findings from our studies, as set forth above, and further review of our current ordinances, it is recommended that the following policy and program be followed in addressing the current and future housing needs of Martinsville. These will be separated in terms of new and existing housing. New Housing 1. Amend the Zoning Ordinance to provide for general zones in the R-6, R-9 and R-16 building zones. Amend the Zoning Ordinance to permit the construction of double-wide manufactured homes in the undevelopedareas of the R-6 and R-9 zones conditioned upon their being placed on lots meeting the subdivision requirements and fronting public streets, with the further stipulation that they be permitted under Special Use Permit on tracts of at least five acres of land. 3. Amend the Subdivision Ordinance to provide for an ordinance to be adminstered by the City Administration. Retain Section III--Improvements as written in the current Subdivision Ordinance which is administered by the City Manager with development contracts being approved by City Council. This Section of the Subdivision Ordinance gives the City Manager and Council the privilege of granting variances from the required standards and improvements. Because of the limited amount of land left in Martinsville, which is for the most part steep in grade and in many instances having major drainage problems, it is recommended that all new subdivision proposals be reviewed carefully from a point of view of tailoring the design of streets and utility improvements to each particular subdivision in order to achieve better land utilization and minimize development cost. It will be difficult to develop much of the vacant land to the full design standards for improvements as set forth in the Subdivision Ordinance. I might add that I favor putting in the improvements as required; however, the design and cost participation can be altered by the City Manager and Council as deemed appropriate. Under the Subdivision Ordinance, the Planning Commission does not have jurisdiction over improvements except that the City Manager is required to submit a statement that the developer has complied with all of the improvement requirements or must