Manhattan’s Development Code Is ADOPTED!

On December 7, 2021, the City Commission adopted the MDC. It became effective on January 1, 2022.

The City of Manhattan has been working to update and modernize the City’s development regulations for the past few years. After spending time, researching, discussing issues, drafting, and editing, Manhattan's new development code is ready for final review and adoption.

The Manhattan Development Code (MDC) is an important set of regulations that defines how the City will preserve its character, protect its resources, and grow and redevelop in the future. These regulations are bound to touch everyone's lives. Whether you want to build an addition to your home, buy a piece of land to build a new business on, or drive, bike, or walk to work or school. The MDC addresses each of these topics and more.

Follow Along!

Overviews and detailed information on new and updated regulations will be provided here over the next six months. Several informational meetings will be held with the citizen-held Ordinance Advisory Committee, the Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board, and the Manhattan City Commission to review the Manhattan Development Code and then begin the formal adoption process.

A Change to the Project's Name

Originally, the project was titled the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which described unifying two separate codes related to development, the Manhattan Urban Area Subdivision Regulations and the Manhattan Zoning Regulations, into one integrated document. The title of the project has evolved to the Manhattan Development Code (MDC), as it is anticipated that the community will eventually forget that the City had two separate documents regulating development, and just naturally refer to the new project as the development code. So, the project name has changed, but its purpose has not.

EncodePlus - An Innovative Way to use the Development Code

Kendig Keast Collaborative, White & Smith LLC, Gateway Planning Group, and Confluence were hired to assist the City and the Community Development Department to draft the regulations and organize the code structure to make it user-friendly, searchable, and easier for citizens, businesses, property owners, consultants, and developers to understand. The MDC will be published on EncodePlus, a software created by Kendig Keast Collaborative that is designed to be easy to navigate and help understand and use the development code. Check out the new Manhattan Development Code at Unified Development Ordinance (encodeplus.com).

The work done by our citizen advisors, the project consultant team, and City staff are to ensure that Manhattan stays an attractive, vibrant, and safe place to live, work and play for years to come.