Dixon to begin process of Zoning Ordinance update

With the General Plan updated for the first time in 28 years this past spring, Dixon city officials now have their sights set on another comprehensive update to a city planning document: the Zoning Ordinance and Map.

To prepare for this overhaul, the Dixon City Council unanimously approved a professional services agreement with Miller Planning Associates at its Tuesday meeting.

The Zoning Ordinance comprises Title 18 of the Dixon Municipal Code and provides definitions of the different zoning districts, permitted uses within those districts and delivers guidance for residents on what they may add to their property and make improvements on to their homes within designated districts. As a supplement to the ordinance, the city has a map of the different zoning districts in Dixon.

Community Development Director Raffi Boloyan said the Zoning Ordinance must be consistent with the General Plan. Since the Zoning Ordinance was last updated in 1982, and the council plan adopted the new General Plan 2040 document in May, he said a lot of information in the ordinance was outdated.

“With the new General Plan, there’s a new vision that was laid out and new land use designations that were adopted in different parts of the city,” he said.

Moreover, Boloyan said the document had a lot of internal inconsistencies and could get confusing.

“Rather than do more patchwork at it, the recommendation was to do a comprehensive Zoning Ordinance update,” he said.

A request for proposals was issued in July, which Boloyan said yielded five proposals which was further narrowed down to three. He said all were qualified, but staff ultimately recommended Miller Planning Associates, a firm based out of San Luis Obispo and operated by Martha Miller, who has 20 years of experience in planning and zoning regulations. The firm has assisted in zoning updates in Vacaville, West Sacramento and Newark.

“What really sets Miller Planning Associates apart is their focus on zoning ordinance updates,” Boloyan said. “The small size of the firm makes them very responsive on what they can deal with.”

Boloyan said Miller Planning Associates would team up with a larger firm called RRM Design Group to assist with the design pieces in the ordinance.

Miller’s cost proposal was $308,672, and Boloyan recommended a 10 percent contingency to be used only in the event of any changes in scope of the project such as additional research. The contingency would bring the total amount to approximately $341,000.

Councilman Kevin Johnson asked what the process would be like. Boloyan said the firm would review current documents, interview staff and members of the public, and have discussions with the City Council and Planning Commission on what does or does not work. Boloyan said there would also be public meetings on the document, and the city will conduct outreach regarding the process. This will be followed by draft documents and study sessions with the council and Planning Commission. The final draft will go to the commission and then the council for adoption. Boloyan estimates the process will take a year and a half.

The council voted 5-0 to approve the agreement with Miller. The council unanimously voted to approve a contract amendment to the professional services agreement with Holt of California to make repairs to the Valley Glen storm drain pump station and also named Deborah Barr as Dixon’s city engineer and director of utilities.