Milton large-lot rules: planners back RZ26-05 changes

Updated Oct. 27: The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of RZ26-05 at its Oct. 14 special called meeting, with several wording changes, according to the action minutes. The next package, RZ26-06, on keeping large tracts intact, will be deferred from the commission’s Oct. 28 meeting, the city said. The City Council has not yet set a vote. Our Oct. 28 Planning Commission story has more.

The city of Milton wanted to hear from people who own large lots and horse farms, and from anyone who hopes to own one someday. It held a public input session at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 2006 Heritage Walk.

The city announced the session in a news release. The city said there will be no presentation and no formal proceedings. People can simply stand up and say what they think. The session ends when everyone in the room has been heard.

What the city wants to know

The release says the city is asking about the challenges, concerns and possible fixes tied to owning and keeping a large lot or a horse farm over the long term. It wants to understand what pushes owners to keep, sell or develop their land.

The city said the answers can help three groups:

• the Milton Equestrian Committee
• the City Council
• city staff

The aim, the release says, is to build strategies that support property owners while keeping the rural character of Milton.

The session takes the place of the Equestrian Committee’s regular monthly meeting. The committee normally meets on the third Wednesday of each month, according to its city web page. Its members will attend to listen.

It follows two surveys the city sent out earlier this year on the same topics. The city said people who took the surveys are welcome, and so is everyone else.

The lot rules already in motion

The session came as the city reworks its rules for AG-1, the agricultural zoning district.

In January, the City Council put a moratorium in place to study small-lot development. The council adopted a first set of changes on April 13, the city said in a release on the Planning Commission’s Oct. 14 meeting.

That meeting took up the second phase, a text amendment to the city’s development code numbered RZ26-05. According to the city, if adopted it would:

• let a lot with a 20% maximum lot coverage cover more ground if the owner places a conservation easement on it
• set a 20-foot natural area as a temporary construction setback along the edges of newly created lots that border existing properties outside the subdivision
• move swimming pools, decks and pool equipment to at least 20 feet from rear and side property lines, up from 10 feet
• change how buildable area is calculated on lots of three acres or more, so large lots are not penalized. Lots under three acres are not affected.

The commission recommended approval on Oct. 14, the four members present voting unanimously. Among its changes, it applied the pool setback to all property lines, not only rear and side lines. It also added a rule that the building area on AG-1 lots of three acres or more be greater than 10,890 square feet. The commission advises; the City Council makes the final decision.

What it means for you

• If you own acreage or a horse farm, Wednesday is a chance to tell the city, in person, what makes it hard to keep your land. No sign-up or written comment is needed.
• If you are planning to build a pool or split a lot, the setback and lot coverage changes in RZ26-05 could apply to you once the council votes. Watch the council agendas on the city’s agendas and minutes page.
• If you live near farmland, the 20-foot natural area rule is meant to protect existing neighbors when new lots are carved out next door.

Our Birmingham neighborhood guide covers north Milton. The city recently placed about 185 acres of Birmingham Park under a permanent conservation easement.

The Milton City Council meets Monday, Oct. 19, to set the city’s tax rate. Our millage story has the numbers.