Land Use and Planning Board
The Land Use and Planning Board holds workshops and public hearings on city codes and ordinances, comprehensive plan updates, and matters typically associated with Long Range Planning functions. The Land Use and Planning Board's responsibility is to issue recommendations to the City Council, who in turn makes final decisions.
The Land Use and Planning Board meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month at 7:00 PM in City Council Chambers. Meetings held on the 2nd Monday of every month are typically workshops; meetings held on the 4th Monday of every month are typically public hearings. The timing of holidays may lead to changes in the scheduling of workshops and public hearings.
What happens at LUPB Workshops?
Workshop meetings offer the opportunity for members of the Land Use and Planning Board to hear, discuss, and comment upon informational presentations by staff on planning issues. Workshops are not recorded meetings, and there is no requirement for public comment to be received by the Board in workshops. However, community members are encouraged to attend these meetings to become better informed about planning issues.
What happens at LUPB Public Hearings?
Public hearings are recorded meetings that offer citizens and the Land Use and Planning Board the opportunity to testify about planning issues. After considering staff recommendations and public testimony, the Land Use and Planning Board may resolve by vote to act in any of the following manners regarding a land use issue:
1) vote to send a recommendation to the City Council that effectively adopts, amends or denies the staff recommendation;
2) vote to continue the public hearing to another date; or
3) vote to send the issue back to a Land Use & Planning Board Workshop.
What's the difference between a 'Memo' and a 'Staff Report'?
Planning staff prepares both memoranda (memos) and staff reports for the Land Use & Planning Board, the Planning & Economic Development Committee, and the City Council. Staff reports differ from memos by providing findings of fact that support staff recommendations regarding land use policies or development regulations. Generally, memos provide an overview of land use policy issues and background information relating those issues to existing local conditions.
What's contained in a typical Memo or Staff Report packet?
All packets contain an Agenda, which provides an outline for the meeting, whether that meeting is a workshop or a public hearing, or both. Minutes from previous public hearings are transcribed and provided in staff report packets prepared for Board review, amendment and approval at public hearings that follow. Typically, the remainder of any packet contains the memos or staff reports and associated documents dealing with the issues listed on the meeting Agenda.
For additional information, contact Planning Services at 253-856-5454. Any person requiring a disability accommodation should contact the City in advance for more information. For TDD relay service, call 1-800-833-6388 (hearing impaired) or 1-800-833-6385 (Braille) or the City of Kent at (253) 856-5725.