This document shall be known as the Development Code. This Code is adopted pursuant to the authority found in the Oregon Constitution, Article XI, Section 4; Sandy Charter, and Oregon Revised States 227.215 et seq.

A.

The development regulations contained in this Code are in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan and are intended to ensure that development is of the proper type, design, and location and serviced by a proper range of public facilities and services; and in all other respects be consistent with the goals and policies of the Sandy Comprehensive Plan.

B.

The development approval process shall not result in the exclusion of needed housing at densities permitted by the underlying zoning district designations.

The Code is organized as a reference document that is not intended to be read in its entirety. It has been developed with a minimal use of planning and legal jargon. Tables and matrices are used in many places to summarize information. The Development Code describes:

A.

The responsibilities of the City Council, Planning Commission, and the Development Services Director and provides basic information on the legal framework of the Code, definitions of words that are not in common usage or have a specific meaning to the Code, and enforcement provisions.

B.

Administrative procedures for land use actions. Approvals by staff are defined as Type I and Type II decisions. In other cases, the Planning Commission and City Council make review and decisions after conducting at least one public hearing.

C.

Permitted and conditional uses within individual zoning districts and which specifies density, building setbacks, building heights, and other quantifiable dimensions.

D.

Overlay zoning districts, which attach an overlay to an underlying base zone such as historic resource or flood, slope and hazard.

E.

Land division regulations, including subdivisions, planned developments, partitions, and adjustments to property lines.

F.

Development provisions required in association with new development or intensification of existing development, including standards for parking, landscaping, accessory development, and other site-specific requirements.