Community Invited to Discuss Proposed Residential Hillside Standards for the R1-D Zone at March 1st Meeting

The Planning Commission will discuss issues related to the R1-D zone, specifically targeting development standards for The Mesa community. Duarte citizens are invited to listen in or share their comments.

In 2008, the City of Duarte initiated an update to the City’s Zoning and Subdivision sections of the Duarte Municipal Code (Titles 19 and 18, respectively).

The Zoning and Subdivision ordinances have not been comprehensively updated in more than 40 years. As a result of piecemeal changes and fixes over the years, these ordinances are difficult to use, lacking in flexibility, confusing to both the public and staff, and internally inconsistent. The current update process is intended to create a modern, streamlined development regulation that will attract economic development, result in high quality construction, and serve as a functional tool.

To assist with the process, the City hired the consulting firm of Hogle-Ireland. Since project start-up, several workshops and community meetings have been held, including a previous workshop on the R1-D Zone and Hillside Development conducted in March 2009.

As City staff and the consultant team near completion of the preliminary draft of the new Development Code, a series of community meetings will be held to flesh the more challenging and/or community sensitive aspects of the zoning standards.

At its February 16th meeting, the Planning Commission reviewed draft provisions for the proposed zone districts and permitted uses, as well as subdivision requirements.