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Code & Policy Changes

This page provides a menu of the ordinances that are currently proposed by the Growth Management Department to finetune the City’s Zoning Code and to ensure that it is responsive to community goals. Please click on any of the titles below to go to the more detailed project website.

Affordable Housing Initiatives Ordinance

Provides incentives for the development of affordable housing units and establishes a process for projects requiring City Commission approval

Glitch Ordinance

Fixes parts of the Code that aren’t working as planned and better responds to community goals

Height Ordinance

Increases the height of student housing from 5 to 7 stories along a portion of Gaines Street

Variance Ordinance

Updates and streamlines the City’s variance and deviation processes and hardship criteria

Cultural Resource Review Process Changes

On October 13, 2021, the State Division of Historical Resources (DHR) notified the City and County it would cease providing cultural resource clearance letters as of November 23, 2021. In the past, DHR has performed desktop cultural resource reviews free of charge for development applicants within Leon County.

Since learning about this change, City and County staff developed interim procedures to ensure an appropriate level of cultural resource review while not delaying development applications. This interim process will apply until formal code amendments can be drafted in Spring of 2022.

The interim procedures require (with limited exceptions) the applicant to procure a desktop survey/report by a qualified archaeologist. The report will provide a recommendation as to whether development should be allowed to proceed or whether an archaeological field survey should first be required.

As the City was provided only a month’s notice regarding this change, there was limited time to prepare an interim process. However, in early 2022, staff will coordinate a full outreach effort in support of the Land Development Code amendments necessary to formalize a permanent process.

For general questions regarding this process, contact Cherie Bryant, Special Projects Coordinator at 850-891-7042 or Rodney Cassidy, Environmental Biologist at 850-891-7158.