Whew…I can breathe a sigh of relieve. (At least for six months, then I need to hold my breath again.) Just before lunch today, the City Council voted to extend the Interim Height Ordinance (IHO) for the second (final) six months. After that, it is set to expire forever.(Can you hear the developers smacking their lips?)
But what is going on here? On June 23 the Land Use & Housing Committee voted to recommend IHO extension and instructed city staff to write an ordinance to tie the end of the IHO to the completion of the community plan update. But today the city did not bring that ordinance to the council. Thank you, Marty Emerald, for being the one councilmember to scold the city for not doing what was asked. Hillcrest’s Plan Update is in limbo, and the city continues to cancel monthly public meetings. Apparently it won’t be completed for a year…orr two…or more. The IHO can not be allowed to expire without a new community plan in place. Without either a plan or the Interim Height Ordinance, be prepared for Uptown to change forever. Say goodbye to our village and hello to a new downtown.
The city staff needs to do what they’ve been asked to do. Prepare an ordinance that ties the IHO to the completion (and approval) of the plan. And they need to do it now, well before the six months is up. And then they need to complete the plan to follow the wishes of the community, not the city or a developer…until then, I’ll continue to
hold my breath.
