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As the county negotiates with a consultant who will draft a "form-based code" plan, city of Beaufort officials said they will participate but have some questions they want answered before implementing such a zoning overhaul.
With a form-based code, jurisdictions create neighborhood plans, establishing a desired look and design that encourages functionality, Beaufort city manager Scott Dadson said.
During a City Council workshop Tuesday, Dadson said a study should first be conducted to determine whether form-based code would work throughout the county and in certain focus areas. The city could pay the consultant up to $15,000 to be included in the report, he proposed, and the other jurisdictions would pay the same amount for their share. The report also would determine whether key players -- developers, neighborhood leaders and elected officials, for example -- are ready for such an aggressive program, Dadson said.County planning administrator Tony Criscitiello said the County Council already has made creation of form-based code one of its top five priorities. Beaufort and Port Royal set a goal of adopting the new zoning method in their comprehensive plans.
"I don't know what the consulting can tell us that we don't already know (about political readiness)," Criscitiello said.
The county expects to reach a deal by April with the company that will draft the code.
Along with Beaufort and Port Royal, Bluffton also has signaled interest in working with the county on the regional plan, but the Town of Hilton Head Island is not interested, Criscitiello said.
All jurisdictions were involved in the bidding process and interviews with consulting firms, including current negotiations with the selected firm, which Criscitiello declined to name.
Dadson said regardless of whether the county and other jurisdictions want to formally participate in a diagnostic report, some type of initial evaluation will have to be done before a new plan could be drafted.
