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Council approves amendment easing size limits for small-scale commercial uses in PUDs
Summary
The Spokane City Council on June 2 approved an amendment to C36699 that lowers the PUD acreage threshold to 20 acres, raises allowed commercial square footage to 5,000 and excludes outdoor seating from the interior square-footage cap for small commercial uses.
The Spokane City Council on June 2 approved a motion to amend code section C36699 to change thresholds for small-scale commercial uses within planned unit developments (PUDs).
Policy Director Mr. Wright explained the amendments in the council meeting: “The biggest changes are instead of, I think it's 50 acres originally. It's now 20 acres... instead of a max of 3,500, it would be 5,000 square feet. It also removes the, the idea that outdoor seating would be, counted towards that square footage,” he said. The administration reported no formal position for or against the change and noted staff had checked for unintended conflicts with other code provisions.
Council members who commented said the changes aim to expand opportunities for small businesses and reduce barriers to entry for startups and home-based entrepreneurs. Council member Bingle described the measure as reducing barriers for small startup businesses, noting many side businesses have limited early revenue and that easing constraints could help those businesses grow. Council member Dylan asked whether the city was “blazing trails” compared with other jurisdictions; staff said the outdoor seating rule was carried forward from existing provisions in RMF and RHD zones to the R1 and R2 zones and that staff had not conducted extensive research on other cities’ thresholds.
Councilwoman Katkar described the amendment as a compromise consistent with the current comprehensive-plan language and suggested the thresholds could be revisited once comp-plan updates are adopted. Council members said the change expands the practical availability of sites because there are relatively few 50-acre parcels that fit the existing standard.
There was a motion and second; the council voted in favor by voice and the chair declared the motion approved. The amendment will appear on the code-update process and be scheduled for further readings or incorporation according to the council’s standard code amendment procedures.
