3.5 Neighborhood Participation Program

Ordinance No. 30567 MCS, 3-20-26, Zoning Docket 049-25

3.5.A Purpose   

Pursuant to Sec. 5-411 of the City Charter, the Neighborhood Participation Plan (NPP) is intended to provide timely initial notification to a neighborhood of any proposed land use action affecting the neighborhood and provide the opportunity for meaningful neighborhood review of and comment on such proposals.

Adopted by Ordinance No. 30567 MCS, 3-20-26, Zoning Docket 049-25

3.5.B Applicability   

NPPs are required for the following types of applications:

1. Zoning Text and Map Amendments
2. Conditional Uses
3. Planned Developments
4. Variances (except variances for single- and two-family dwelling units)
5. Major Subdivisions

NPPs are also required for changes to the Master Plan. These Master Plan NPPs shall be facilitated by the City Planning Commission staff and are not subject to the procedural rules of this Section.

Adopted by Ordinance No. 30567 MCS, 3-20-26, Zoning Docket 049-25

3.5.C NPP Procedure   

1. Applicants begin the NPP process by applying with the CPC staff, who will provide a list of required parties to be noticed as well as a Neighborhood Participation Program Guide.
2. Applicants must provide CPC staff with a copy of the NPP meeting notice. CPC staff will ensure that the NPP meeting notice is sent through the City’s electronic verification system to interested parties. The failure of CPC to publish notice through the City’s electronic verification system or the unavailability of the electronic verification system shall not be grounds for deeming a NPP to be insufficient.
3. Applicants must send the required notice to all parties listed by CPC staff. Proof of actual delivery is not required. For notice sent through the U.S. mail, an attestation of mailing alongside a copy of the notice is sufficient. For notice sent through e-mail, a copy of the email including addresses the email was sent to with the notice embedded in the body or attached as a pdf is sufficient.
4. Applicants must hold the required NPP meeting at the date, time, and location included in the notice, and must keep the necessary records for submission of the NPP Report. If the NPP meeting is rescheduled, notice of the rescheduling must be sent by the same means as the original notice and CPC staff must be notified by email.
5. Applicants must submit the NPP Report as part of their application for the types of applications set forth in 3.5.B. This application will not be considered complete until a satisfactory NPP Report has been received by CPC staff.
6. Applicants must provide CPC staff with notice of the date, time, and location of NPP meetings. CPC staff shall maintain a publicly available list of all NPP meetings.

Adopted by Ordinance No. 30567 MCS, 3-20-26, Zoning Docket 049-25

3.5.D Parties to Receive Notice   

1. Applications affecting up to one city square or its equivalent must provide notice to all properties within a 300’ radius for properties up to 25,000 square feet in area and a 600’ for properties that are 25,000+ square feet of the relevant property, as well as to any neighborhood associations registered with the city representing the area encompassing the city square. CPC staff will, upon request, provide a list of these properties as well as relevant neighborhood associations and their designated contact information. Notice to neighboring properties must be sent by U.S. Mail or hand-delivered, while notice to neighborhood associations registered with the city may be sent by e-mail. Notice to other interested parties may be sent through the City’s electronic notification system.
2. Applications affecting more than one city square or its equivalent must provide notice to all neighborhood associations registered with the city by e-mail. Other interested parties may receive notice through the City’s electronic notification system.

Adopted by Ordinance No. 30567 MCS, 3-20-26, Zoning Docket 049-25

3.5.E Contents of Required Notice   

Notice of the NPP must include the following information, at a minimum:

1. The date, time, and location of a meeting to be held to receive review and comment on the proposal. NPPs affecting more than one city square or its equivalent may hold their meeting virtually, through a commercially accepted virtual meeting service, such as Zoom, Teams, or WebEx. Virtual meetings must have the option for participants to call in without requiring video services. The meeting must be held within 14-30 days of mailing or emailing of the required notice.
2. A brief description of the proposal:
   1. Map amendment applications shall include the type of land use request, the name of the existing and proposed zoning district, and the article of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for the proposed zoning district. Map amendment applications shall also include an outlined area map.
   2. Text amendment applications shall include the citation and existing language of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, if applicable, the proposed changes or additions to the language of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and which zoning district(s) the amendment would affect, or a statement that the changes would be effective citywide.
   3. Conditional use applications shall include a brief description of the proposal, including the type of land use request, and known needed variances.
   4. Planned development applications shall include a brief description of the proposal, including known needed variances.
   5. Variance applications shall include a brief description of the proposal, including known needed variances.
   6. Major subdivision applications shall include a description of how the lots are being subdivided (ex:  Resubdivision of Lot(s) x into Lot(s) y).
   7. All parties should recognize that the proposal may change as part of the usual review process and that failure to notice every possible permutation of the proposal shall not render the NPP insufficient.
3. Contact information for the applicants, including at a minimum a telephone number and email address, so that parties who may not attend the NPP meeting due to time constraints can participate in the process.

Adopted by Ordinance No. 30567 MCS, 3-20-26, Zoning Docket 049-25

3.5.F NPP Meeting   

1. NPP meetings must be held in accessible public locations at reasonable times and should be sufficiently large to accommodate all attendees with seating. These meetings should be held in locations which are not susceptible to weather or climate concerns, generally temperate, and should generally allow for robust participation by neighbors of varying abilities and schedules.
2. Virtual NPP meetings may require pre-registration to facilitate a “webinar” style presentation with the ability to mute participants, provided that there is a dedicated period of time for participants to provide comment with the technical ability for them to do so.
3. Meetings may end at a specified time, even if all participants have not yet had a chance to speak, provided that there is at least 30 minutes provided for public comment and that the set end time is included in the notice for the NPP.
4. The Executive Director of the City Planning Commission shall promulgate rules setting forth what materials should be provided as part of the NPP Meeting and what information should be presented.

Adopted by Ordinance No. 30567 MCS, 3-20-26, Zoning Docket 049-25

3.5.G NPP Report   

The applicant shall submit a NPP Report with the application. The report shall provide the following information:

1. The names of the individuals and entities that were notified. 
2. A summary of the information that was presented.
3. A list of the concerns, issues, and problems expressed by the participants.
4. A statement as to how each concern, issue, and problem is addressed and how the applicant intends to continue to address them. If the concern, issue, or problem is not being addressed, the applicant should state the reasons.
5. Copies of emails, letters, communications affidavits, meeting invitations, newsletters, publications, and petitions requesting additional information related to the project, received in support of or in opposition to the proposed project, and any other materials pertaining to the notification process.
6. The date, time, and location of all meetings held with interested parties, or a statement indicating the reasons if no meeting was held. No information pertaining to any meeting held more than one hundred eighty (180) days prior to the submittal of the application shall be accepted as part of the NPP Report, except where subsequent meetings with interested parties have occurred within the one hundred eighty (180) days preceding the submittal of the NPP Report.
7. A completed sign-in sheet that includes the names, addresses, and contact information for meeting attendees. A list of participants prepared by the virtual meeting service is acceptable for virtual meetings.
8. The NPP Report must include a signed attestation that the information contained therein is true and correct to the best of the applicant’s knowledge. A signed attestation on the application form to this effect accompanying the NPP Report shall be deemed to satisfy this requirement provided that the language of the attestation includes the contents of the NPP Report.

Adopted by Ordinance No. 30567 MCS, 3-20-26, Zoning Docket 049-25

3.5.H Evaluation of NPP   

1. The Executive Director of the CPC will ensure that the written NPP Report meets all the minimum requirements regarding meeting date, time, and location set forth herein when evaluating the completeness of the application.
2. The City Planning Commission or Board of Zoning Adjustments, as applicable, may evaluate the sufficiency of the NPP as part of its public hearing process on the application for which the NPP was conducted. In so doing, they may consider whether the applicant endeavored to provide meaningful notice to neighbors and whether any deficiencies in such notice notably affected the provision of this notice. If the Commission or Board determines that, in its judgment, the NPP process did not provide meaningful notice, it may defer the matter to require the applicant to engage in additional notice efforts.

Adopted by Ordinance No. 30567 MCS, 3-20-26, Zoning Docket 049-25