Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Code topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reviews proposed land‑use code amendments: affordable housing incentives, site‑plan language, lot‑line review and multifamily dumpster rules
Summary
City staff previewed a package of land‑use code amendments that would add incentives for moderate‑income housing in PUDs, remove flow charts from binding code language, restore city review of lot‑line adjustments and require dumpsters for new developments with three or more units.
Note: The following article covers four related land‑use/code items discussed together by staff: incentives for affordable housing in planned unit developments (PUDs); removal of code‑embedded flow charts and site‑plan process language; restoring city review of lot‑line adjustments; and a multifamily dumpsters code amendment to require dumpsters for developments of three or more units.
City staff said the proposed amendments are intended to implement recent state legislation where applicable and to resolve local operational challenges. On PUDs, staff proposed an incentive for developers to include moderate‑income units in exchange for flexibility in PUD standards. On site plans, staff recommended removing flow charts from code text and instead using them as illustrative tools to avoid ambiguity in binding code language.
Regarding lot‑line adjustments, staff explained the city previously had varied involvement but is proposing to restore formal city review to avoid conflicts with zoning code. On multifamily dumpsters, staff said the amendment would require that developments of three or more units provide a dumpster (and an enclosure meeting city code) rather than allowing large numbers of individual garbage cans; the change would apply only to new developments and would not be retroactive.
Why it matters: the package affects development standards, review processes, and the operational burden on city services. Staff cited recent issues with dense developments using hundreds of individual cans that impede snowplowing, parking and public‑safety responses.
Council clarification: staff said the dumpster requirement would place responsibility on homeowners associations or developers to contract for collection (city does not pick up residential dumpsters). Staff also said the site‑plan clarifications will align local code with state law where required.
Next steps: staff presented the code amendments for council discussion; no final ordinances were adopted at the work session and the items will follow the ordinance adoption process in subsequent meetings.
