Planning Commission recommends PUD ordinance changes to City Council; members pressed for clearer fire- and setback language

The Planning Commission voted to recommend City Council adopt amendments to Article 5 (Planned Unit Developments) intended to clarify procedures, increase minimum open-space requirements and add specific landscaping requirements for parking lots.

Nut graf: Commissioners and staff focused substantial discussion on the proposed minimum building-separation provision that would set a 15-foot minimum separation between adjacent structures within a PUD, measured from the closest building component (for example eave or gutter). Commissioners asked staff to clarify how building-code and fire-code requirements interact with PUD spacing and whether developers building under residential code could be held to different exterior-wall fire-rating standards if a development mixes residential and nonresidential uses. Staff agreed to add clarifying language requiring compliance with applicable building- and fire-code provisions and to permit waivers only if adequate fire protection is demonstrated and documented.

The draft ordinance would raise open-space minimums for multifamily components and require at least 15 feet in building separation (7.5 feet per side to property line) unless the applicant demonstrates fire-protection measures. The commission asked staff to add a clarifying sentence that exclusively nonresidential PUDs remain subject to the existing commercial open-space standard and that mixed-use PUDs must meet the higher multifamily/open-space thresholds. Commissioners approved forwarding the amended PUD language to City Council with instructions for staff to refine the phrasing on measurement points and to note how variances or code-determined fire ratings would be handled.

Ending: The commission recommended the PUD amendments to Council and requested staff refine the building-separation measurement and cross-reference building and fire code requirements before council consideration.