Milton planners prepare comp‑plan and zoning updates to accommodate planned fire station

Planning staff told the City of Milton Planning Commission that the city's 2025 annual comprehensive‑plan update will include updated capital projects from Public Works and a map amendment to designate newly acquired parcels as "community facilities" to allow construction of a planned fire station, and staff asked the commission to open a public hearing next month on the package.

The amendment would add Public Works' six‑year capital improvement project numbers and schedules to the comp plan and change the map designation for parcels the fire department has purchased so that a station may be sited inside the city, planning staff said. "We are allowed to once a year update the comprehensive plan," the staff member said, and staff intends to return next month with the materials needed for a hearing and later referral to city council.

The planning staff described a companion zoning update. To accommodate the fire department's plan, staff recommended reclassifying the parcels to a community‑facilities zone and adding fire or emergency service stations to the city's use table as a conditional‑use permit. "My suggestion is that we do it as a conditional use permit because ... it allows the neighborhood meeting and the public hearing and ... allows us to do conditions," the staff member said, describing the higher level of review the city would use.

Commissioners asked questions about scope and timing. Commissioners pressed staff on whether the highlighted parcels represented all properties the fire department intends to purchase and on alternatives that would avoid an annual comp‑plan amendment. Staff said the parcels shown reflect what the department has purchased and that the commission could alternatively amend the zoning code to allow fire stations in certain residential or commercial zones so future purchases would not require a comp‑plan update. The staff member also said the comp plan may be updated only once a year, while zoning code amendments can occur more frequently.

Chair Elliott indicated support for advancing the process to public input: "I'm in favor of a public hearing next month," Elliott said during the discussion. Several commissioners asked to hear from neighbors at a public hearing before sending a recommendation to council. Staff said if materials for the six‑year TIP and other updates are complete, the commission could hold a hearing at the next meeting and then forward a recommendation to the city council.

Beyond the fire‑station items, staff outlined related small zoning clarifications planned as part of an "annual zoning update." Staff proposed clarifying the city's accessory‑dwelling‑unit definition to specify that ADUs must be permanent structures on permanent foundations, to differentiate ADUs from mobile or nonpermanent "tiny homes." Staff also proposed adding language to address temporary sign spacing in the public right‑of‑way consistent with the 100‑foot spacing already required on private property, and to consider allowing vehicle repair uses in the business area where auto sales already are permitted.

No formal vote was taken on the comp‑plan or zoning package during the meeting. The commission provided direction to staff to prepare materials and hold a public hearing at the next meeting; staff intends to return with the updated comp‑plan map, the companion zoning amendments and the six‑year capital improvement project details for Planning Commission action and subsequent referral to council.

Next steps: planning staff will assemble the six‑year TIP data and zoning text amendments and publish hearing materials in advance of the next commission meeting. After the public hearing the commission may vote on a recommendation to forward the amendments to the City Council for final action.