A Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) project being considered by the City of Manhattan may have an impact on housing ordinances, road compliance, and land use in the city.
On Tuesday evening, Manhattan City Commissioners held a joint work session with the Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board and Ordinance Advisory Committee to hear an update on the ongoing UDO project, which is an effort to merge zoning and subdivision regulations. The project will implement the recommendations of the Manhattan Urban Area Comprehensive Plan while improving the readability of ordinances and establishing more coordination between the city, Riley and Pottawatomie counties, and Fort Riley.
Mark White, a planner with Topeka-based White and Smith, LLC, said the city can update its ordinances to improve infrastructure in future developments. Smith said street standards should not change dramatically through the metropolitan area.
“There are a lot of opportunities here to update and bring some of your standards better into coordination with the county,” White said.
The City and Riley County have an inter-local agreement determining land uses and infrastructure development. No such agreement exists between Manhattan and Pottawatomie County.
“The comprehensive plan recommends the urban area be extended into Pottawatomie County,” said Gary Stith, a member of the Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board.
“It seems to me while we’ve got this good model with Riley County, we ought to see if we can duplicate that model in working with Pottawatomie County.”
The UDO will also take into consideration the Joint Land Use Study. The JLUS has recommended land uses, growth management tactics, and building specifications for the areas surrounding Fort Riley.
The UDO is divided into four modules – the first of which will be publicly available in September. One part of the plan will cut the amount of districts in city ordinances which will equate to less process and cut expenses.
“One of the goals we have was to reduce necessity for planned unit developments,” said Bret Keast, CEO of Keast Kendig Collaborative.
The city aims to use a new rental inspection program to bring more properties into conformance as new ordinances are passed.
