NEWS Next ICS Task Team Meeting The next ICS Task Team Meeting will be held on January 12, 2009, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (Please note that meetings now start 1/2 hour earlier at 5:00 p.m.) Location:  Sloat Room, Atrium Building, 99 W. 10th ICS Task Team Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Future Meeting Dates:  February 9, March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8 Audio Recordings of the task team meetings are available to check out at the meeting. ICS Task Team Goes to Planning Commission and City Council Project updates have been presented to the Planning Commission and City Council.  Both updates were well received and can be viewed via the links in the left column. ICS Task Team Update The Infill Compatibility Standards Task Team has been working since November 2007 to prevent negative impacts of infill and encourage positive infill. Volunteers are meeting in subcommittees on the broad topics of single-dwelling infill, multi-dwelling infill, and subdivisions and edge development. The top issues the task team recommends focusing on in these three areas were presented to the Planning Commission on November 24th and City Council on December 10th. A variety of topics were presented, from parking impacts to building height transitions to the natural resource impacts from infill subdivisions.  Over the winter (January-March 2009), the general public will be invited to a series of workshops to weigh in on the issues and brainstorm potential solutions. Alternative solutions (such as code changes) will then be prepared in the spring, allowing for public input and feedback cycles before specific code language proceeds through the public hearing and adoption process (slated for early summer 2009).

OVERVIEW Infill development is new residential construction in established areas of the city. Infill can be accomplished by developing a remnant vacant or redevelopable lot, by dividing an existing lot into smaller pieces such as flag lots or alley access lots, or by developing additional housing units on an existing developed lot. Infill compatibility standards are tools that can regulate the amount, form, and appearance of new residential development in established areas. Regulations will codify clear and objective infill standards based on public involvement, technical analysis, and policy direction. Infill Compatibility Standards (ICS) is a project aimed at addressing the impacts of residential infill development.  The city’s neighborhoods differ in such characteristics as development pattern, street pattern, block and lot layout, topography, natural environment, distance from the urban core, access to transportation options, surrounding land uses, and predominant architectural style.  However, with a few exceptions in Special Area Zones, infill in most neighborhoods is regulated by base zone standards (setbacks, height limits, lot coverage limits) that may not fully address the neighborhood’s defining characteristics.  As a result, some infill projects have been built that are described by neighboring property owners as having negative impacts on nearby residents.  The project includes describing, categorizing, and addressing those impacts in the most effective way possible and demonstrating positive infill examples, while considering the impacts on the city’s growth pattern as a whole.    Growth Management Policies The adopted Growth Management Policies (GMPs) direct the city to encourage infill development and increase housing density while maintaining the character and livability of individual neighborhoods.  This project seeks to implement the policy directives in the GMPs. Citizen Interest The Planning Division is experiencing a very high level of citizen interest in both the Infill Compatibility Standards and the Opportunity Siting projects.  Over the last year, issues related to neighborhood character, neighborhood involvement, and residential compatibility have risen to the top of citizen concerns and desires for Planning Division work.  Planning staff are committed to making these high-priority work tasks a success.