Council reviews code edits for middle housing parking, bicycle storage and mobile-sales rules; food-truck court process codified

City planning staff walked council through proposed amendments to Arlington Municipal Code Chapter 20.44 that would adjust parking and bicycle-storage requirements for middle housing, replace an internal reference to a fire official in the homeless-encampment conditional-use section, and formalize procedures for mobile sales and food-truck operations.

The proposed edits remove a requirement to mandate off-street parking for middle housing in certain sections and allow developers to provide bicycle storage inside individual garages rather than requiring an external bicycle rack. "They can choose to have one, but they can also provide them within the garage of each unit," Amy (staff member) said, describing how recent projects have handled bicycle storage.

The amendment also standardizes language across the code by changing references from "fire department" or "fire marshal" to "fire code official" in the administrative conditional-use permit section that covers homeless encampments; staff said the change reflects existing practice and does not alter who serves as the official, which remains defined in Chapter 15 under the North County Regional Fire arrangement.

Separately, staff proposed three sub-sections to define mobile sales and delivery rules: (a) requirements for non-food mobile sales and delivery, (b) rules for food trucks operating across city limits, and (c) rules specific to the city-owned food-truck court. Amy said the city-owned food-truck court follows a different process because the city, not a private property owner, operates the site; on city property, vendors do not need separate property-owner permission. Amy gave a non-food example of a mobile flower vendor who sells from a horse trailer to clarify the distinction between retail mobile sales and package delivery services.

Councilmember Heather Logan asked staff to update an internal agency reference: "It's no longer the health district. It's the health department," Logan said. Amy agreed to change the language to "Snohomish County Department of Health."

The item was discussed as a workshop matter; staff asked council for questions and will return the draft ordinance for formal consideration. No vote occurred at this meeting.

Why it matters: The changes recodify evolving practices — such as putting bicycle storage inside garages and formalizing the city food-truck court process — and ensure code language aligns with current interagency arrangements and county health department names. The mobile-sales rules will affect entrepreneurs who operate mobile retail and food trucks.

Next steps: Staff will update the draft to reflect council clarifications and bring it back for adoption procedures.