Sec. 656.130. - Special notice to neighborhood organizations, CPACs, umbrella neighborhood organizations and civic organizations; neighborhood organization participation in public hearings.

(a) The City recognizes that Jacksonville's many and varied neighborhoods are the lifeblood of the community, providing most residents with their clearest sense of identity with and participation in the communal life of the City. As reflected by the adoption of Rule 6 (Procedures Governing Quasi-Judicial Actions), the City desires to encourage the participation of affected neighborhood organizations in all land use matters which come before the City Council, whether such matters are legislative or quasi-judicial, and particularly desires to facilitate the participation of neighborhood organizations in quasi-judicial land use matters. (b) Ordinance 95-247-106 (The Neighborhood Bill of Rights) requires notification to neighborhood organizations of the submission of any application for rezoning, zoning or land use variance or exception, Development of Regional Impact (DRI) or Planned Unit Development (PUD) application, or other significant land use action, a clear explanation of the date, time and place of all applicable public hearings and other opportunities for input on the application and a clear explanation of the type of testimony that is allowable and relevant from neighborhood organizations and residents. (c) Notice of a time and place of a public hearing which is required to be held by the Council, the appropriate committee of the Council, the Planning Commission or the Downtown Development Review Board, as the case may be, with respect to any type of land use action specified above shall be provided at least 14 days in advance to any registered neighborhood organizations which serve a neighborhood area located within 350 feet of the land which is the subject of the application, the Citizens Planning Advisory Committees ("CPACs") in the affected area and any "umbrella" neighborhood organizations or civic organizations if those organizations have filed a written request with the City for notification concerning one or more of those types of applications within a specific defined geographic area. Notice received pursuant to this Section 656.130 (c) shall not confer "affected party status" upon the recipient of such notice, although any of these organizations, except CPACs, may file a request for a determination of affected party status under Council Rule 6.302 for those matters which are pending before the Council. The failure of a neighborhood organization, CPAC or other organization required to be notified under this Section shall not invalidate or otherwise have any effect upon a public hearing or action taken by the committee or the Council on the application for rezoning. (d) The procedures governing quasi-judicial actions before the City Council (Chapter 6, Rules of the City Council) establish informal and formal procedures for hearing quasi-judicial matters. These rules are intended to be applied and interpreted in a manner which recognizes both the legislative and the judicial aspects of the City land use decision-making process and encourages full participation within that process not only by all parties, but by interested neighborhood organizations, individuals and the public as well. The Council's formal hearing procedures are designed primarily to allow the applicant and others who have standing to maintain a lawsuit to establish a proper record before the City Council, since appeals of quasi-judicial matters to the circuit court are based solely on the record before the Council. However, the informal hearing procedures were specifically designed to allow for full participation by any neighborhood organization, as well as the public, and because the hearing is shorter and the process less complex and easier to use, the Council therefore encourages the use of the informal hearing process by all applicants, neighborhood organizations and interested members of the public whenever possible where there is no intent to appeal a quasi-judicial decision of the City Council. Any neighborhood organization or member of the public, whether or not qualified as an "affected party," as defined in Rule 6.302, may participate fully in an informal hearing by requesting additional time to speak at the beginning of the public hearing, and the Council President or the committee chairman, as the case may be, shall grant additional time as necessary to the requesting neighborhood organization or member of the public to allow sufficient time to provide information during the public hearing portion of the hearing, as required under Rule 6.201(e), as long as the information which is being provided will assist the Council in making a complete and informed decision based upon substantial, competent evidence, without unnecessary repetition and delay. (Ord. 1999-358-E, § 2; Ord. 2007-564-E, § 5; Ord. 2017-318-E , § 8)