Town staff propose merging Planning & Zoning and Historic Preservation commissions to ensure quorums

Planning staff told the council they recommend combining the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission into a single municipal commission to increase meeting reliability and reduce duplicate hearings.

Assistant planning staff presented meeting attendance data showing frequent cancellations: the Historic Preservation Commission had nine canceled meetings in the recent sample and multiple sessions without a quorum; Planning & Zoning also missed meetings. Staff recommended a five-member combined commission with two alternates who would attend meetings and participate in discussion but vote only when filling a quorum slot.

Deputy Planning Director Dina Gonzales (present in discussion) and Assistant Town Manager Mark Flores said the consolidation would reduce duplicative public-notice requirements — currently, certain exterior changes can trigger both historic-approval and land-use hearings — and make it easier for applicants and residents to get hearings completed in a single process. Gonzales said the consolidated body could form subcommittees for deeper review of historic issues while preserving procedural protections for appeals.

Council members asked for clarifying language on appeals and for an ordinance drafted through the existing land-use code process; staff said the consolidation would require code amendments and an ordinance and that the item would be brought to the commissions for input before returning to council. Council members supported the idea of keeping a dedicated historic-preservation advisory role or subcommittee to ensure preservation issues are not sidelined.

Staff said they would draft ordinance language, present it to both commissions for comment and return with a formal ordinance and public-notice schedule in the coming months.