PUD heads to council

The Town of Saratoga’s proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) ordinance is now one step closer to becoming law in the town after the planning commission made changes at its Tuesday meeting.

The PUD ordinance had several small changes that were applied by the planning commission after a workshop last month between members of the committee, the town council, and stakeholders. At the workshop, the parties discussed the ordinance and suggested ways to alter the language to ensure it meets the expectations of all stakeholders.

After a legal review of the proposed changes, the planning commission acted to make the changes Tuesday.

The PUD, if passed, would allow the planning commission to approve projects in town based on merits of the project, rather than zoning restrictions. The PUD ordinance would allow the commission to approve mixed use projects, such as retail-commercial developments even if those projects don’t fit into one of the existing zone types.

Under the PUD, the town would have tighter control over several aspects of a project, including aesthetics.

Changes made to the proposed ordinance included changing “sketch” to “conceptual plan,” to address concerns by some officials the term “sketch” was too vague and would require them to accept informal documents that are not useful for determining a project’s impact.

The ordinance now goes before the town council which will vote on the measure after three readings of the proposed ordinance.

The first reading of the ordinance will likely be at the next town council meeting, which is scheduled to be held 6 p.m. Tuesday at Town Hall.