Section 129A.  Neighborhood Meetings

(Added by Ord. No. 5778/8-07.)

(1)          Purpose and Intent.  Neighborhood meetings encourage citizen involvement and participation, and identification of issues, early in the development process.  The purpose of neighborhood meetings is to provide an opportunity for the applicant, surrounding neighbors and interested parties to meet, to review a development proposal, and to identify issues regarding the proposal.  These issues can then be addressed prior to application submittal in a manner consistent with the City’s requirements.  A neighborhood meeting is intended to facilitate submittal of an application that is more responsive to neighborhood concerns and to expedite and lessen the expense of the review process by reducing continuances and appeals.

(2)          Applicability.  The following applications shall be subject to the neighborhood meeting requirements:  planned unit developments; conditional uses; floodplain alterations or special uses in the floodplain; and Type 2 Significant Natural Resource Permits. 

(3)          Procedures

A.  Neighborhood meetings shall be held at a location in the closest practicable proximity to the subject site.  The meeting shall be held on a weekday evening, or weekends at any reasonable time.  Mailed notice of the meeting shall be provided by the applicant to surrounding neighborhood, at the same notification radius required by the City for that type of application.  The applicant shall also post notice of the neighborhood meeting on the site at least seven days before the meeting. 

B.  At the neighborhood meeting, the applicant shall provide preliminary details of the major elements of the development, including number and type of dwellings if applicable, proposed uses, street, lotting, and parking layouts, approximate building locations and heights, and approximate locations for open space and natural resource preservation as applicable.  Opportunity shall be provided for attendees to ask questions regarding the proposal.  The applicant shall prepare meeting notes of major points, issues, and responses concerning the development proposal that were discussed at the meeting.  Only one neighborhood meeting per development proposal is required, but the applicant may hold more meetings if desired. 

C.  The Planning Commission may establish by Resolution specific requirements for notification, posting, and conduct of neighborhood meetings, and may vary the requirements among applications.   Once established, requirements may be amended by Planning Commission Resolution.

(4)          Neighborhood meetings and application submittal. The neighborhood meeting notes, list of parties notified, dated photographs documenting site posting, copies of all materials provided by the applicant at the meeting, and a signature sheet of attendees shall be included with the development application upon submittal.  If the development proposal is revised after the neighborhood meeting, with the addition of one or more tax lots or the substantial revision of major elements as cited in Section c.2, a second neighborhood meeting with a new notice shall be required before the revised application is submitted. 

(5)          Non-compliance with requirements.  Compliance with the provisions of Section 129A is a jurisdictional requirement of the Hillsboro Zoning Ordinance.  Applications shall not be submitted without this documentation, or submitted prior to the neighborhood meeting.  If submitted, such application shall not be accepted by the City.