HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9825 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9825
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 8, 2015
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*a SUBJECT: PROPOSED ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENTS RELATING
rrn TO DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEAR SOUTHSIDE
Staff is proposing minor amendments to the Zoning Ordinance relating to development in
the Near Southside form-based district.
The Near Southside form-based district, enacted by the City of Fort Worth in January 2008,
promotes high-quality development consistent with the urban design goals for this historic,
mixed-use, urban district. Fort Worth South, Inc. (FWSI) worked with the City on previous
amendments to the code. Significant amendments to date include multistory minimums
along primary streets, height bonuses for structured parking projects, residential
percentage minimums for "N" Neighborhood Zones, and over a dozen more minor changes
and clarifications.
All amendments have aimed to a) further remove impediments to good projects, or b)
further discourage projects that are inconsistent with the district's development and design
goals. After continuing to review the code's effectiveness over the past two years since the
most recent set of amendments, FWSI's Design Review Committee proposes the following
revisions to the Near Southside Development Standards and Guidelines.
• Apply architectural standards to highly visible facades not facing public streets.
• Establish a maximum surface parking lot frontage along public streets.
• Update sign standards.
• Provide flexibility for front entrance standards on sites with topographic constraints.
• Require UDC approval for sky bridges.
• Revise parking garage standard related to ground floor commercial uses to a guideline.
• Delete referenced supplemental standards that are not applicable in the Near
Southside.
• Allow administrative waivers for roadside design improvements if a streetscape
improvement project is planned.
• Provide an objective, measured standard related to the requirement for clear glazing.
The Urban Design Commission received a briefing on November 19 and will vote on the
amendments on December 17, 2015. The Zoning Commission received a briefing on
November 11 and will vote on the amendments on January 13, 2016. The City Council is
scheduled to vote on the amendments on February 2, 2016.
If you have any questions, please contact Laura Voltmann, Senior Planner, at 817-392-8015.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS