Milton’s Planning Commission on Wednesday will consider proposed text amendments aimed at better aligning lot creation with development intensity, preserving Milton’s rural character, and enhancing clarity and predictability for property owners and applicants.

Citizens are welcome to attend the March 25 meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., in-person at City Hall. Or they can watch it online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipWvzAsn-UA. 

Consisting of seven individuals appointed by Milton’s Mayor and City Councilmembers, the Planning Commission evaluates and potentially recommends changes to Milton zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, zoning maps, and overall planning processes. This same committee considers variance requests and other items that go through the City’s public hearing process, meaning other boards may discuss the same items. 

There’s a single topic on Wednesday’s Planning Commission, though it’s a multi-faceted one. It relates to proposed text amendments to Milton’s Unified Development Code and Chapter 10 (Buildings and Building Regulations) in the City Code. 

To review those potential amendments in detail, check out the Planning Commission’s meeting “packet” at https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument/index?cc=MILTONGA&me=31c860092baf4e6ea7299739e5e062f4&ip=true. (Click on the item that starts “Memo RZ26-03” for an overview, and “AG-1 Code Amendments FINAL” for the specific possible Code revisions.) 

These draft amendments follow the City Council’s approval earlier this year of a moratorium pausing applications to subdivide AG-1 property into three or fewer lots when those resulting lots are less than three acres in size. The Council enacted this moratorium to give City staff time to evaluate development trends, analyze available data, then devise potential text amendments based off that information. Collecting public input was a key part of this process, including a stakeholder survey, a pair of community feedback sessions (on February 26 and March 11), and a Community Zoning Information Meeting (on March 24). 

The Planning Commission will consider the proposed text amendments, which include the following elements and other minor revisions:

• A revised definition and standards for what constitutes lot coverage
• New and updated standards for what constitutes buildable and usable area
• Establishing new natural area buffer requirements to preserve rural character, maintain tree canopy, and provide appropriate transitions between adjacent properties and roadways
• Establishing and clarifying as-built survey requirements
• Clarifying limits for repeat lot splits involving minor plats
• Establishing a new provision aimed at preserving large tracts of land (10 acres and larger)

After Wednesday’s meeting, the draft text amendments will move to the City Council. They will be on the April 1 Special-Called City Council meeting agenda under First Presentation, which means there will be no official discussion or deciding vote. On April 13, the Council is set to fully discuss and vote on whether or not to adopt some or all of the proposed text amendments. The moratorium could be lifted after this vote.