Guthrie presents major zoning code overhaul; council scheduled to consider adoption April 22

City planning staff presented a comprehensive rewrite of Guthrie's zoning code at the April 1 City Council meeting, describing changes staff said would modernize districts, expand housing options and establish clearer design and review standards. The planning commission recommended approval and staff planned a formal council vote on April 22.

Dan (city planning staff lead) said the zoning code rewrite is intended to implement the city's comprehensive plan and to address an out‑of‑date municipal code. "The zoning code is the document that implements our comprehensive plan," Dan said during the presentation. He described a multistep process that included an 11‑meeting oversight committee and public review.

Key proposed changes summarized by staff include: new districts (Residential Estates for larger lots, a Mixed Use district, a multifamily designation, and a Public Facilities zone); explicit allowances for livestock and fowl in agricultural and certain residential districts (for example, livestock allowances tied to quarter‑acre thresholds and up to eight fowl in residential areas, no roosters); and special provisions for accessory dwelling units and modular/cottage homes. Within the city's original town site area staff said the draft would allow two dwelling units on a 7,000‑square‑foot lot regardless of zoning, and set a minimum lot size of 3,500 square feet for certain smaller lots.

Dan highlighted housing and design provisions intended to preserve neighborhood character while increasing housing choices. "Within that area, it will allow 2 units per property regardless of zoning on a 7,000 square foot lot," he said. The draft also removes a mandatory garage requirement for smaller homes (roughly those 1,100 square feet or less) to lower construction cost, and adds standards for cottage courts, duplex layouts and multi‑building developments that keep parking to rear yards in the original town site overlay.

Commercial changes include a Mixed Use district that permits commercial and residential on the same site or in the same building, standards for live‑work and sidewalk café seating in the Central Business District, and a micro‑mixed‑use option allowing limited neighborhood‑serving commercial activity on residential properties through a special use permit. Staff recommended eliminating minimum off‑street parking requirements for commercial and industrial uses (to be decided case‑by‑case) while keeping the existing 1.5 spaces per residential unit metric unchanged for multifamily.

The draft updates sign rules (monument signs up to 20 feet, larger shopping center signs and special allowances along I‑35), short‑term rental standards, medical marijuana siting rules consistent with state law, temporary use and outdoor storage rules, and a clarified special use and variance process that adds minor variances for very small departures.

Dan told council the timeline would bring the ordinance back to the council for a formal vote on April 22, with ordinance publication around April 30 and an effective date of May 30 if adopted. He also noted that many provisions now in the municipal code (signs, mobile homes, planning commission references) will be repealed from the municipal code and reestablished in the new zoning code to avoid duplication.

Council discussion focused on review time and outreach: several council members said councilors and the public need adequate time to review the redline text and asked about drafting support for newly elected council members. Staff said the planning commission and oversight committee had reviewed the draft and that a redline copy had been circulated to council on March 14; staff offered to meet with council members to answer questions before the April 22 vote.

Because the April 1 presentation was introductory, there was no final vote; staff and the planning commission recommended adoption at the next meeting.