Planning commission backs broad Title 15 housing code amendments, sends package to City Council

At its meeting, the Laramie Planning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend that the Laramie City Council approve a set of text amendments to Title 15 of the Laramie Municipal Code related to housing.

The package, presented by Derek, a city planning staff member, includes more than a dozen changes ranging from clarifying permitted uses to adjusting numerical development standards. "We are going to be kind of opening the doors in terms of where we allow multifamily housing and development within the community," Derek said while summarizing the proposal.

The amendments include: increasing the threshold for minor administrative modifications from 20% to 25% for numerical standards (for example setbacks, parking counts and tree requirements); clarifying that multifamily is permitted in the NB (neighborhood business) zone; reducing conditional-use requirements for multifamily uses in a broader set of commercial and business zoning districts while keeping industrial zones as conditional uses; grouping retirement homes, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in the use table and expanding where they may be located; explicitly stating that accessory dwelling units do not require an additional parking space; authorizing staff to approve alternative front lot line…