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DESCRIPTION AND CONDITIONS: At its regular meeting of November 15, 1988, the Board of County Commissioners directed staff to initiate changes to the County's vacant single-family lot dock regulations. The recommendation was based upon a memo to the Board of County Commissioners from the County Attorney's office, which raised concerns over the amount of County resources expended versus the amount of public benefit derived from: a. allowing construction of docks on vacant lots while prohibiting their use until a residence is constructed; and b. requiring a $5,000 bond to guarantee that docks are not used until a residence is constructed. The Board indicated that dock use should not occur prior to construction of a residence and stated that some guarantee (security) is needed to enforce the use prohibition. The Board suggested that a $1,500.00 cash deposit with the County be requir- ed in lieu of the posting of a bond. Staff is proposing to implement the Board's directive by amending Section 25.1(c)(7) of the zoning code. This section of the code is that portion of the regulations for specific land uses which addresses single-family docks constructed prior to construction of a principal single-family dwelling unit. As proposed, this amendment would require one form of posted security: a $1,500.00 cash escrow deposit with the County. The Planning and Zoning Commission has considered the proposed amendment and has voted unanimously to modify the staff's proposed ordinance. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommends that the applicant be given the option of posting a $1,500 cash escrow deposit or posting a letter of credit in a format predetermined by the County Attorney's office. The Commission's full motion is reflected in the attached minutes. ANALYSIS AND ALTERNATIVES: . Security Requirements The main reason for the suggested ordinance change is the need for greater administrative efficiency: administering the presentbond requirement is cumbersome. Presently there are four County departments which are involved in the review, approval and tracking of bonds (Planning, Legal, Budget, and Building). Furthermore, because the posted security needs to be "open-ended" (no expiration date), banks have been reluctant and slow to comply with the County Attorney's office formats and standards. The proposed change from a $5,000 cash bond to a $1,500 cash escrow deposit would still require staff review and coordination, but would reduce the amount of staff review and tracking time (time spent ensuring bonds are either renewed or "pulled"). This proposal would give the County easy and ample enforcement powers should any violations occur with regard to the premature use of docks, and would reduce the amount of staff review and adminis- tration time. The Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation would not resolve the current problems; the staff would still need to obtain open-ended security instruments or keep track of revolving letter of credit renewals. In staff's opinion, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation would merely reduce the dollar amount of the required security and would not address the biggest problem: 33 FEB 7 1989 c� BOOK FAH 33