[Vision2020] Moscow Dropping Lot Divisions?

[Kit Craine]

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For years, Moscow has created building lots through a process which is 
not in the City's land use codes. On September 15, 2003, the City 
Attorney strongly advised the City Council's Public Works and Finance 
Committee to immediately stop using this "lot division" procedure; 
instead all applications for building lots should be processed in 
compliance with the City's  Subdivision code.

Public participation is  an aspect of this issue. The public notice for 
a lot division is in an agenda for a City Council meeting and the 
decision is made at a Council Committee meeting. Subdivisions require 
two public hearings before the Planning and Zoning Commission and two 
before the City Council. There must be a fifteen day public notice 
period before each hearing.

The Public Works Committee would like to revise the Subdivision code to 
include something similar to the lot division process. Rewriting the 
code will take several months. In the meantime, the Council needs to 
either impose a moratorium on lot divisions,  process them through the 
Subdivision code, or pass an interim  procedure which complies with 
State code. The Public Works Committee requested that the city staff 
present possible solutions at its next  meeting, which should be at 
5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 22.

These code revisions will define how citizens are able to participate 
in Moscow's growth. I urge anyone who has an opinion on the way Moscow 
is developing to get involved before the Council makes any decisions.

Kit Craine
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<fontfamily><param>Times</param><smaller>For years, Moscow has created
building lots through a process which is not in the City's land use
codes. On September 15, 2003, the City Attorney strongly advised the
City Council's Public Works and Finance Committee to immediately stop
using this "lot division" procedure; instead all applications for
building lots should be processed in compliance with the City's 
Subdivision code. 


Public participation is  an aspect of this issue. The public notice
for a lot division is in an agenda for a City Council meeting and the
decision is made at a Council Committee meeting. Subdivisions require
two public hearings before the Planning and Zoning Commission and two
before the City Council. There must be a fifteen day public notice
period before each hearing.


The Public Works Committee would like to revise the Subdivision code
to include something similar to the lot division process. Rewriting
the code will take several months. In the meantime, the Council needs
to either impose a moratorium on lot divisions,  process them through
the Subdivision code, or pass an interim  procedure which complies
with State code. The Public Works Committee requested that the city
staff present possible solutions at its next  meeting, which should be
at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 22.


These code revisions will define how citizens are able to participate
in Moscow's growth. I urge anyone who has an opinion on the way Moscow
is developing to get involved before the Council makes any decisions.


Kit Craine</smaller></fontfamily>
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