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Council adopts Wilkerson amendment requiring glazing on garage facades that face streets
Summary
Council adopted a Wilkerson amendment clarifying that side and rear garage facades facing a public or private street must include glazing treatment; planning staff said the change aligns garage facades with existing design standards when garages become dominant street-facing elements.
The Spokane City Council on Jan. 6 voted to adopt a Wilkerson amendment clarifying window (glazing) requirements for garage facades that face public or private streets.
Staff from Planning described the amendment as a technical clarification to ensure that garages placed forward of the house or oriented toward the street meet the same facade-design expectations applied elsewhere in the code. Planning staff said the requirement would most commonly occur where a garage on a corner lot faces a public right-of-way.
Council members raised concerns about visibility and safety — asking whether windows might allow sight into garages — and planning staff said homeowners could mitigate those concerns with interior treatments or by using design alternatives, but the language as amended requires glazing where the garage facade fronts a street. The amendment was described in committee discussions as an attempt to give planners clearer administration language; council members then moved, seconded and adopted the Wilkerson amendment by voice vote.
