Planning staff outline zoning changes, two new residential districts and affordability bonus in housing study

Greg Claxton, a planner with the planning department, presented an update to the Planning Commission on the housing and infrastructure study that would change single‑family bulk standards, simplify duplex rules, allow detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in some circumstances, introduce two new residential districts and calibrate a state‑enabled rental affordability bonus.

The study, Claxton said, is intended to balance housing production and neighborhood character and to produce recommendations for the commission in June. "The workshops, I think, have been, a good opportunity for members of the public to kinda come out and talk to us in a fair amount of detail," he said, describing recent public exercises on scale and form.

Staff framed the proposed changes in several clusters. For R and RS (one‑ and two‑family) districts they are considering lowering measured heights to about 2½ stories in many locations, clarifying how height is measured (for example whether exposed basements count), and including eave and roofline measurements to encourage pitched roofs. Claxton said the current Urban zoning overlay allows three stories within 45 feet but an exposed basement can effectively add about 7 feet, potentially producing a 52‑foot building in some calculations; staff would like to reduce those extremes to better match existing neighborhood form.

On unit types, staff described steps to make detached ADUs permitted in R and RS inside…