Livingston board debates zoning rewrite: 60‑foot downtown minimum, new light‑mixed‑use district, short‑term rental licensing and riparian setbacks

City planning staff and members of the Livingston Consolidated Land Use Board spent much of their Oct. 8 meeting reviewing a comprehensive zoning‑code update that would set a 60‑foot minimum restriction for the Central Business District and create a new “light mixed use” district with a 36‑foot height limit along Park Street.

Jennifer (planning staff) told the board that recent state legislation changed what local governments may regulate. "The state has come has said that this is where you can restrict heights, and this is what you can restrict them to," she said, adding "in heavy commercial districts, central commercial districts ... we cannot limit height or restrict height below 60 feet. So that is why for our CBD ... 60 feet is the minimum that we can restrict it to in the Central Business District."

Why it matters: The rewrite is intended to align zoning with the 2021 city growth policy and a 2022 housing action plan, but it must also comply with new state law. The change will affect where denser housing or larger mixed‑use developments are allowed downtown and along commercial gateways, and it prompted public comment about downtown character, infill, URA funding and flood‑related constraints.

Key elements discussed

- Heights and new districts: The draft limits the Central Business District (CBD) to 60 feet (the minimum allowed by state…