Title
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 1205, "ZONING DISTRICTS" AND CHAPTER 1207, "ZONING DEVELOPMENT AND SITE PLAN STANDARDS," OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE TO PROVIDE FOR FUNDS-IN-LIEU OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC SIDEWALKS AND OTHER PEDESTRIAN AND NON-VEHICULAR CIRCULATION SYSTEMS.
Executive Summary: This legislation would create a Pedestrian Linkages Fund as recommended by the Connect Hudson Plan that came out of the Safe Routes Hudson initiative.
Body
Legislative History
This legislation was first discussed by Council in the fall of 2012. Council conducted its first reading of the legislation and referred the matter to Planning Commission for public hearing and recommendation on February 20, 2013. Planning Commission conducted its public hearing on March 11. After public comment and discussion the Commission recommended that Council disapprove the legislation. At its second reading on April 3, 2013, Council voted to remove the item from its regular meeting agenda and send it to a Council workshop meeting for further review and discussion. Those discussions lead to the creation of the Ad Hoc Connectivity Committee on September 4, 2013 and the adoption in concept of the committee's proposed Connectivity Plan on February 19, 2014.
Purpose & Explanation
The Connect Hudson Plan that came out of the Safe Routes Hudson initiative recommended the creation of a sidewalk fund created by contributions from builders and developers where sidewalks could be required, but there are no existing walks with which to connect. The new fund would be used to fill the sidewalk "gaps" throughout the City.
This legislation would implement the recommendation and enable discretion regarding the Land Development Code requirement to install sidewalks. Instead of requiring sidewalks that don't connect to an existing network, payment in lieu of installing sidewalks would be placed into a Pedestrian Linkages Fund instead, which would then be used to complete sidewalk connection...
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