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City of Boerne in Final Stages of Implementing the Unified Development Code
Encourage Citizens to Participate in Upcoming Public Forums
TThere is no denying that Boerne is a charming place. It’s quaint and historic downtown, fantastic schools and friendly folks are just some of the many wonderful traits that have caused Boerne’s growth. And like it or not, with growth comes change. However, how the City of Boerne manages that growth and change is vital to preserving our City and it’s small town appeal. As the City and larger region continues to grow, Boerne City leaders recognize the importance of proactive planning. The Boerne Master Plan, which was adopted in 2018, provides a vision that will serve as a blueprint for future development in Boerne for the next 10 years and beyond. One project that is a major step towards implementing this Master Plan is the development of a Unified Development Code, or the UDC.
The UDC has been in the works for over a year and is now in it’s final stages of completion. It will combine the various city ordinances related to development into a single document that will include zoning regulations and subdivision regulations, as well as procedures and standards related to construction and public works. By combining the city’s development codes, the City can reduce the number of pages, better relate all sets of regulation to assure less contradiction, minimize redundancy and provide by Lauren Stumberg
a streamlined organizational structure that is much simpler to use. According to Boerne’s Mayor Tim Handren, “The UDC will be a valuable asset for our City as we move toward future development. While many citizens may think that this document doesn’t affect them personally if they are not a builder, a developer, or even have no current interest in making changes to their personal property, the fact is that the UDC will affect the future of our community, and therefore does affect the individual citizens.”
The City encourages interested citizens to come, participate and ask questions regarding the UDC at the upcoming Public Forums on March 31st & April 14th!
With over 400 pages in the UDC, the Steering Committee which consists of Mayor Handren along with Brian Fowler, Ben Adam, Ben Eldredge, Travis Roberson, Guy Sanders, Ross Partlow, and Chesney Dunning, has been hard at work looking at current ordinances, cleaning up conflicts, fixing mistakes and modifying the City’s current development process to be more modern. Conversion to a Unified Development Code is intended to make the development process more efficient in Boerne and to facilitate design oversight in keeping with community vision. In addition to a change in the structure of these regulations, the City will also be converting to a web-based format, so that the development code is more accessible and user-friendly. Finally, the City will be drafting a Handbook, which will serve as an abbreviated and illustrated version of the complete UDC, with sections addressing frequently asked questions, contact information and a summary of the development process in Boerne.
One of the changes in the UDC is the addition of Overlay Districts, which member of the UDC Steering Committee, Brian Fowler, is particularly excited about. “Each overlay district whether North Main, River Road, Herff Road or even our entrance corridors along Highways 87 and 46 to our old neighborhoods like the Flats and those surrounding Oak Park Drive illustrate our town’s many unique qualities and personalities. With the UDC we now have the opportunity as a community to define each districts’ historical, economic (past and future), cultural and neighborhood characteristics that create its personality. We want to take these ”personality traits” of
each district and determine how they can be incorporated into design standards that apply to architectural materials, signage, streetscapes, landscaping, etc. for that district. We want everyone who works and lives in a particular district to be proud of their area of town. As our city grows the overlay districts will help preserve our heritage and personality as a City just like our historical district has done the past 25 years. I look forward to working with everyone as we participate in building a more beautiful Boerne,” said Fowler.
Another Steering Committee member, Ross Partlow is also enthusiastic about the Overlay Districts. According to Partlow, “Determining one change associated with the UDC that will have the most impact is difficult. I believe it is the comprehensive set of changes that have been incorporated into the UDC that will provide Boerne the ability to manage growth while maintaining the uniqueness that Boerne offers. With that said, I believe establishing the overlay districts may be the most impactful. They will allow the city to ensure that certain areas of town have distinction. Maintaining distinction in existing areas while providing distinction in other areas for future development will provide diversity in the community into the future allowing Boerne to maintain its charm and uniqueness that we all enjoy.”
While there is a lot of legal and technical language that the majority of the public may find a bit mundane, the truth of the matter is that the UDC is an important step for the City of Boerne. Mayor Handren added, “Those of us at the City all live here and care about the future of Boerne. We are making sure this will still look and feel like the Boerne we know and love for many years to come. There are many good preservation changes in this document, things that will allow us to make sure that our City is not being built up in a way that we don’t like.”
Something that UDC Steering Committee member Guy Sanders finds important in this document is the ability to change or evolve as needed. “The #1 change is (will be) the ability to change. The idea that any final product is not considered a perfect document and that an identifiable missed opportunity for clarity can be updated through a reasonable process and timeline... granted what the process is or timeline to my knowledge has yet to be nailed down,” added Sanders. As the UDC enters its final stages of completion, there will be two public hearings on March 31st and April 14th during the City Council Meetings. This will be a time for the public to come and ask questions. Once finalized, the UDC would then be adopted in April. The City encourages interested citizens to come, participate and ask questions regarding the UDC. BBM
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