HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 12656ORDINANCE NO. / ~ ~~W
AN ORDINANCE EXTENDING A MORATORIUM ON
ACCEPTANCE OF CERTAIN APPLICATIONS FOR ZONING
AND DEVELOPMENT OF MULTI-FAMILY LAND USES;
ESTABLISHING DEFINITIONS FOR MULTI-FAMILY
LAND USES; ESTABLISHING AN APPEALS PROCEDURE;
PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR
EXEMPTIONS; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City Council adopted a 90-day moratorium bn the
acceptance of applications for zoning and development of multi-
family land uses on June 11, 1996 by Ordinance No 12548,
WHEREAS, the City Council appointed a task force to study
issues relating to density and design of multi-family dwellings,
consisting of four Council members, three members of the Zoning
Commission and three members of the Plan Commission
WHEREAS, after conducting public hearings the task force
recommended certain revisions to the Comprehensive Zoning
Ordinance of the City of Fort Worth relating to zoning and
development of multi-family dwellings, which were recommended for
approval by the Zoning Commission on August 1, 1996 and adopted by
the Council on August 13, 1996 by Ordinance No 12.628,
WHEREAS, the task force is now studying methods to address
issues associated with concentrations of multi-family developments
and has directed City staff to .compile information relating to the
areas of the City in which there are large areas of land that have
been developed or could be developed for multi-family housing,
WHEREAS, the moratorium will expire on September 9, 1996,
unless extended by the City Council,
WHEREAS, it is advisable to extend the moratorium to October
1, 1996 in order to maintain the status quo while the task force
obtains and studies such information,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Intent.
(1) It is the intent of this ordinance temporarily to
limit, except as otherwise provided herein, the acceptance for
filing of multi-family zoning applications and applications for
multi-family development permits, in anticipation of adoption of
new regulations implementing policies relating to concentration of
multi-family land uses It is not the intent of this ordinance to
deny development rights protected by statute or constitution
(2) It is the further intent of the City to enact new
regulations relating to the concentration of multi-family land
uses in the most expeditious manner, and to consider any appeals
to establish a multi-family land use for the duration of this
ordinance on the basis of criteria contained herein
SECTION 2. Definitions.
(1) "Multi-family dwelling" means a
containing or aggregating three or more sinc
(2) "Multi-family land use" means
includes multi-family dwellings
(3) "Dwelling" means an enclosed
thereof having accommodations for only one
one family
building or buildings
ale-family dwellings
use of land which
building or portion
family or occupied by
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(4) "Application for a multi-family development permit"
means an application for a use or uses that includes multi-family
dwellings, including an application for an area development
concept plan, subdivision plat, building permit or license,
certificate, approval, registration, consent, permit, or other
form of authorization required by law, rule, regulation, or
ordinance that must be obtained by a person in order to perform an
action or initiate a project for which the permit is sought
(5) "Project" shall mean an endeavor over which the City of
Fort Worth exerts jurisdiction and for which a permit is required
before initiation of the endeavor
(6) "Multi-family zoning application" shall mean an
application to zone property as "C-R", "C", "D", "D-HR1" or "D-
HR2", including any plans or documents required to be submitted
with such application, including but not limited to site plans
SECTION 3. Limitation on Acceptance of Applications.
(1) Except as otherwise provided herein, after the
effective date of, and extending for the duration of this
ordinance, no City employee, officer, agent, bureau, department or
commission of the City shall accept for filing any multi-family
zoning application or application for a multi-family development
permit, except as hereinafter may be provided for
(2) The Director of Development, building official or other
city official responsible under City regulations for reviewing the
multi-family zoning application or application for multi-family
development permit shall first determine whether the multi-family
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zoning application or multi-family development permit application
is for establishment or development of a multi-family land use for
which no exemption is provided pursuant to this ordinance
Acceptance of a multi-family zoning application or multi-family
permit application for the limited purpose of such review shall
not constitute filing of the application In the event that the
application is for establishment or development of a multi-family
land use for which no exemption is provided pursuant to this
ordinance, the official shall take no further action on the multi-
family zoning application or multi-family development permit
application and shall return the application, together -with any
proffered application fee, to the applicant with notification that
the application will not be accepted for filing or further
processing for the duration of this ordinance
SECTION 4. Term of Ordinance.
Unless extended by the City Council, this ordinance shall
continue in effect until October 1, 1996 at 11 59 p m or until
the City Council terminates the moratorium, whichever occurs
first
SECTION 5. Appeals.
(1) An applicant for a multi-family zoning application or
multi-family development permit subject to this ordinance, who is
aggrieved by the City's decision not to accept .such application
for filing, may appeal for relief to the City Council The appeal
shall be in writing and shall be transmitted to the Office of the
City Attorney within ten (10) days of the date of notification
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that the permit application will not be accepted for filing for
the duration of this ordinance
(2) The appeal shall be considered by the City Council
within twenty (20) days of the date the appeal is received in the
Office of the City Attorney The City Council shall not release
the applicant from the requirements of this ordinance, unless the
applicant first presents credible evidence from which the City
Council can reasonably conclude that the delay in processing his
or her application for multi-family zoning or multi-family
development permit under this ordinance is likely to substantially
deprive the applicant of property rights protected by statute or
constitution In making this decision, the Council may consider
the nature of the use of the land proposed, other authorized uses
permitted outright or conditionally under the zoning designation,
whether the applicant has a vested property right in development
of the land for multi-family use and the likelihood that such
factors will not be adequately addressed in subsequently enacted
zoning regulations If the Council determines that such potential
deprivation outweighs the potential harm to the public health,
safety and general welfare resulting from development of the
multi-family use prior to implementation of revised policies
relating to multi-family land uses and development, it may grant
authorization to proceed with the application based on the
following considerations
(a) the suitability of the proposed multi-
family land use in light of land uses allowed in
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the zoning districts on property adjacent to the
proposed site,
(b) whether the proposed site is served by
sufficient infrastructure to serve the development
of the proposed multi-family land use,
(c) the supply of multi-family dwellings in
the neighborhood of the site on which the proposed
multi-family land use is to be established,
(d) the effect of the proposed multi-family
land use on the neighborhood of the proposed site,
(e) the measures proposed to be taken by the
applicant to prevent negative impacts of the
proposed multi-family land use on the neighborhood
of the site, and
(f) the design and density of the proposed
multi-family project
(3) The City Council may take the following actions
(a) deny the appeal, in which case the
application shall not be accepted or further
processed,
(b) grant the appeal, and direct that the
Director of Development, building official or
other official responsible for reviewing the
application accept the application for filing, or
(c) grant the appeal subject to conditions
consistent with the criteria set forth in this
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section, and direct that the Director of
Development, building official or other official
responsible for reviewing the application accept
the application for filing
SECTION 6. Exemptions.
This ordinance shall not apply to the following applications
(1) any application for multi-family development permit or
multi-family zoning application that was accepted for
filing by the City on or before the effective date of
this ordinance,
(2) any subsequent application for a multi-family
development permit or multi-family zoning application
following approval of an initial application for a
multi-family development permit that was accepted for
filing by the City on or before the effective date of
this ordinance,
(3) any amendment to a multi-family development permit
existing on or before the effective date of this
ordinance, and
(4) multi-family housing developments in the Central
Business District, as defined in Section 12 of the
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance of the City of Fort
Worth, Ordinance No 3011, as amended, as the area
bounded by Bluff Street on the north, Henderson Street
on the west, I-35 on the east and Vickery Boulevard on
the south
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SECTION 7. Declarations and Findings.
All declarations and findings contained in the moratorium
ordinance adopted by the City Council on June 11, 1996, Ordinance
No 12548, and in the amendments to the Comprehensive Zoning
Ordinance adopted by the City Council on August 13, 1996,
Ordinance No 12628., are made a part hereof as if set out herein
and shall be fully effective as part of the subject matter of this
ordinance
SECTION 8. Cumulative Effect
This ordinance shall be cumulative of all provisions of
ordinances and of the Code of the City of Fort Worth, Texas
(1986), as amended, except where the provisions of this ordinance
are in direct conflict with the provisions of such ordinances and
such Code, in which event such conflicting provisions of such
ordinances and Code are hereby suspended for the period during
which this ordinance is in effect
SECTION 9. Severability
It is hereby declared to be the intention of the City Council
that the sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses and phrases of
this ordinance are severable, and, if any phrase, clause,
sentence, paragraph or section of this ordinance shall be declared
void, ineffective or unconstitutional by the valid judgment or
final decree of a court of competent jurisdiction, such voidness,
ineffectiveness or unconstitutionality shall not affect any of the
remaining phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs and sections of
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this ordinance, since the same would have been enacted by the City
Council without the incorporation herein of any such void,
ineffective or unconstitutional phrase, clause, sentence,
paragraph or section
SECTION 10. Effective Date.
This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and
after its passage, and it is so ordained
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY:
~~~~~~- a
Assistant City Attorney
Date : ~- S . 1 9 9~
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ADOPTED : ~. - ti ..~ ~ I ~ S!O
EFFECTIVE • 3 . ~ g S ~°
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City of Fort worth, Teacas~
Mayor and Council Communication
DATE REFERENCE NUMBER LOG NAME PAGE
09/03/96 G-11594 12LAW 1 OF 2
suBJECT EXTENSION OF MORATORIUM ON ACCEPTANCE OF APPLICATIONS FOR
REZONING OR DEVELOPING MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached ordinance which would extend the moratorium on
the acceptance of applications to rezone or develop multi-family housing projects from September 9, 1996 to
October 1, 1996
DISCUSSION
The City Council adopted a 90 day moratorium on the acceptance of applications for rezoning or developing
multi-family housing on June 11, 1996. The moratorium was adopted in order to maintain the status quo
while the City Council addressed problems concerning the concentration, density and design of multi-family
land uses and adopted regulations to address these issues. The moratorium expires on Monday, September 9,
1996
The Council appointed a task force to study issues relating to the density and design of multi-family land
uses. The task force consists of four Council members, three members of the Plan Commission and three
members of the Zoning Commission. The task force met three times in June and July, 1996, and proposed
amendments to the City's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance relating to the design and density of multi-
family dwellings. The Zoning Commission recommended approval of the task force's proposed amendments
on August 1, 1996. The Council adopted the amendments recommended by the Zoning Commission, with
the exception of proposed regulations relating to Planned Development zoning, on August 13, 1996 The
Planned Development amendments are on the Council's September 3, 1996 agenda for consideration.
The task force met on August 28, 1996 to begin consideration of methods to address issues relating to
concentration of multi-family dwellings. The task force discussed methods to address azeas of the City in
which large areas are zoned for multi-family development. The task force directed the Department of
Planning and Growth Management to prepare information concerning the areas of the City in which more
than 8% of the land is developed or could be developed for multi-family housing. Upon receipt and
consideration of this information, the task force will consider methods to address such concentrations.
The task force recommends to the Council that the moratorium on acceptance of applications for rezoning or
developing multi-family housing be extended from September 9, 1996 to 11.59 p.m. on October 1, 1996.
During this extended period the Planning Department will gather information concerning specific areas of
the City in which there is a concentration of property which has been developed for multi-family uses or is
eligible for multi-family development. Staff concurs with the task force's recommendation.
City of Fort Worth Texas
Mayor and Council Communication
DATE
09/03/96 REFERENCE NUMBER
G-11594 LOG NAME
12LAW PAGE
2 OF 2
SUBJECT EXTENSION OF MORATORIUM ON ACCEPTANCE OF APPLICATIONS FOR
REZONING OR DEVELOPING MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING
The next meeting of the task force is scheduled for Wednesday, September 18, 1996 The task force will
discuss the information prepared by the Planning Department, and it is anticipated that the task force will
propose that the moratorium on acceptance of applications for zoning or developing multi-family uses be
extended for specific areas in which there is a concentration of land zoned for multi-family development,
pending action by the Council to address this issue.
CB:f
Submitted for City Manager's FUND ACCOUNT CENTER AMOUNT CITY SECRETARY
Office by' (to)'
APPROVED
Chazles Boswell 8511 CITY COUNCIL
Originating Department Head:
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(from) Q
Wade Adkins 7623 ~u,~ ~~i1.t,N~e-~(~
For Additional Information of W
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Contact:
Wade Adkins 7623
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Adapted Ordlnarlce NQ,