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Planning commission approves updated downtown design standards for recommendation to council
Summary
Commission approved an updated set of downtown design standards developed with consultant Bolton & Menk and recommended the update to City Council; staff said clearer thresholds will let staff approve minor projects and send major or unusual items to the design review board.
The Florence City Planning Commission voted to recommend an update to the city’s downtown design standards, a revision produced with consultant Bolton & Menk and intended to replace guidelines that dated to 2008.
Miss Lane said the update provides clearer tables and definitions that identify which projects staff may approve administratively and which must go to the Design Review Board. The new draft incorporates newer building materials, defines minor and major projects, and clarifies approval criteria so that projects meeting the standards can be approved by staff; deviations or unusual proposals would go to the board.
Design Review Board members had previously reviewed the draft and voted to approve it on Dec. 11. Commissioners asked how much latitude staff would have to approve projects without a public hearing; Miss Lane and other staff said staff would approve minor projects that meet the standards unequivocally and would forward major or nonconforming proposals to the board. They also said unusual technologies or novel materials would generally be referred to the board for a public hearing.
Commissioners voted to recommend the updated standards to City Council. If council adopts the ordinance amendment, the new standards will guide downtown design review and administrative approvals.
