From
Chris Hartmann
Title
Proposed amendments to Unified Development Code to update and consolidate requirements for new single-family and multi-family residential construction.
Presenter
David P. Jones, Chief City Planner
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
As residential development in Grand Prairie has continued and evolved, staff has become aware that current residential development regulations are misaligned with development trends and preferences in our market. Most residential developments approved within the last several years, including almost all multi-family apartment projects, have sought one or more variances from the Unified Development Code. These variances often include exceptions to requirements for unit composition, garages, material standards, roof pitch, yard setbacks, and screening. In most cases, the requested variances are granted, allowing for the project to be built.
While development regulations are designed for some flexibility, a clear trend has emerged in the city's most recent residential developments, a trend which looks and in some cases functions differently than what is strictly required by current standards. This amendment is an effort to update requirements for residential development and to make them more flexible and context-sensitive, while maintaining or exceeding the high degree of quality and design which the current standards were intended to provide.
A second goal of this amendment is to consolidate residential development regulations, which currently are spread among several different Articles within the Unified Development Code. This change is designed to allow for better communication between the City and prospective developers and builders and make the code easier to search and reference. This consolidation is not intended to replace any Article or section within the UDC, but it is designed to place the most relevant and often referenced requirements in a single location.