Form-Based Code in the Midwest

Cleveland has adopted the "Urban Overlay", which is form-based zoning for certain commercial corridors, generally arterial roads which are or were chiefly commercial. The idea is to return these roads to use as they were originally intended. It has greatly eased the design approval and permitting process for developers.

The city adopted the Urban Overlay process in March, 2016, and it has been quite successful. Off the top of my head, I can think of three developments (multi-family plus retail) which went from first draft proposal to ground-breaking in less than six months during 2017.

I just posted in the Cleveland thread an illustration of the success of form-based zoning used in an Urban Overlay district. A town house project recently went from first proposal to ground-breaking in about three and a half months - that's at least twice as fast as it used to take and everybody's happy about it.

This is the post: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=143925773&postcount=923

Yes, along with specifics about what has changed, physically, I'm also really interested in the actual process and where specifically it is sped up.

The current process in my city is usually long, since most large projects (and many small-ish ones) require a special land use permit, rezoning or both is:

Special Land Use Permit

1. The developer must first submit an application containing a lot plan, site plan, landscaping/buffering plan, photographs of the site (and other applicable documents) to the city planning office at least 26 days before a meeting of the Planning Board.

2. The city planning office staff reviews and guides the developer whether something is missing, incorrect, etc...then the city planning office makes a recommendation to the Planning Board before the meeting.

3. The development is then added to the Planning Board's agenda and notices are sent out to the neighborhood and placed in newspapers.

4. The Planning Board public hearing is held, where the development can either be approved, approved with condition, denied or tabled pending request for further information.

5. Finally, if approved by the board, they send their recommendation to the mayor who then sends the development through the actual city council process.

City Council

6. The development is then sent to the council's Development and Planning subcommittee, where it is reviewed and another public hearing is scheduled. If approved by the committe, the development goes to the full council.

7. The full council finally votes on approving or deny the project.

This entire thing can take nearly half the year, at times. And this is before getting into the rezoning process, which is pretty similar to the special land use process. Most developers who need a rezoning and special land permit start both at the same time, but the two processes don't always match up exactly which can add additional time to a project.

I'm going to look specifically at how FBC makes things faster, but from my understanding, since more uses will be allowed in more zones, you'll have many fewer rezoning and special land use requests. In the case that a development doesn't have to go through this process, it'll go through the much more simple site plan review, which usually takes 4-6 weeks.