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Commissioners urge design standards; staff outlines options for zoning or guidance
Summary
Commissioners discussed adopting architectural/design standards for Medical Lake — ranging from modest residential guidelines (roof pitch, porches) to more prescriptive zoning-code rules or subjective guidance — and asked staff to place the topic on the next meeting docket for further discussion.
Members of the Planning Commission raised the possibility of adopting local design standards to improve building appearance and pedestrian character. Commissioners described examples from other jurisdictions — small houses with front porches, limits on garage prominence, sidewalk placement and window percentages facing streets — and said modest standards could improve neighborhood aesthetics.
One commissioner said, “My, desire is that in Medical Lake, I don't wanna have a lot of heavy handed bureaucracy by any stretch of the imagination, but I would like to see some architectural standards… Not a lot. Just some, roof pitch of perhaps front porch is that sort of thing.” Another commissioner described examples from Portland and Gresham where zoning code provisions regulated garage placement and window percentages.
Staff advised that design standards can be implemented in different ways: as zoning-code requirements for objective measures (percentages of windows, garage setback limits), as district-specific standards, or as advisory design guidance. Staff said highly subjective standards often are applied through design-review commissions in larger cities, while objective rules are adopted in the zoning code. “If it's not subjective, if it just says it has to look like this, then it's something that goes to the the zoning code,” staff said.
Commissioners agreed to put design standards on the docket for the next meeting to continue discussion and consider whether residential or commercial districts should be treated differently.
Why it matters: Design standards shape the appearance of new development and can influence walkability and neighborhood character. Any code changes would apply only to new construction or to properties subject to permits; staff confirmed existing buildings are not retroactively required to conform.
Next steps: Staff will add design standards to the next meeting agenda for further discussion and to consider possible regulatory or advisory approaches.
