New ordinances have been created by the Dripping Springs Planning and Zoning Commission in response to a new state law that puts a time crunch on planning and zoning staff.
State law HB 3167 no longer requires public notice for new plat developments and allows the construction of buildings not up to code, if city planners fail to meet a 30-day deadline.
Despite pressure from the state, Dripping Spring’s planning and zoning team revamped their system to keep the public involved.
If developers meet new timeline requirements, the public will continue to receive notice of a new plat prior to a planning and zoning meeting through signs on the plat, newspaper notices and on the city’s website.
Planning Director Jason Lutz said despite the state law no longer requiring public notice before a meeting, the staff felt public opinion matters.
“Public notice changes to the house bill did not require public notice prior to the public hearing, but that we had to notify landowners after action was taken,” Lutz said. “In our desire to keep community transparency, when we worked on a new timeline for submitting schedules and reviews within 30 days, we decided to continue notifications prior to the meeting for replat. Site developments changed, but we’re still going to be putting signs up and information on our website.”
To abide by state laws and prioritize safety, the city created a uniform submittal schedule and application filing process for developers.
Developers will submit an outline of development dates that align with planning and zoning meetings once a month. After developers submit the outline, the city has 10 days to review that all documents are available to file the application or wait till the next meeting to file the application.
If the application is filed, the 30-day clock, set by the state, is triggered. The city will send comments, to which developers can respond via new online software. If developers do not respond to the comments within the 30-day window, the application is denied.
If developers and city planners complete the comment process and developments are up to code, the city will consider the application complete and available for review at the next public planning and zoning meeting.
The public will be notified 11-16 days before the public meeting.
