Committee reviews major rewrites to zoning definitions, affordable‑housing terms and a new lighting chapter

Staff walked the committee through a comprehensive pass at Chapter 2 (Definitions) and a new Chapter 8 (Outdoor Lighting) during the April 30 meeting, presenting numerous edits and asking the advisory group for direction on several policy choices.

Jessica, a staff member presenting the draft, said the goal was to clarify terms used throughout the zoning code and to move marijuana-specific terms into a separate marijuana chapter. She noted that staff added illustrations, consolidated duplicate definitions and removed inconsistent or chapter-specific language.

Why it matters: committee members said consistent definitions are necessary so developers, staff and the public use the same terms when discussing projects. Members flagged housing terms — including “affordable housing,” “designated dwelling unit,” and “workforce housing” — as priorities to finalize because the wording affects project financing, eligibility and public communications.

Key points from the discussion

- Affordable and designated dwelling units: Staff reviewed proposed language (based on a federal standard) for an “affordable housing dwelling unit” that would restrict units by income and cost burden. The draft text presented described a dwelling unit restricted to households earning no more than 120% of area median income (AMI) as defined annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where renter housing costs (including utilities) do not exceed 30% of household income or owner housing costs (mortgage interest, insurance, real estate taxes and association fees) do not exceed 30% of household income. Committee members asked staff to add a separate definition for “designated dwelling unit” that reflects income-restriction terms and financing requirements (for example, USDA 30-year commitments were discussed as illustrative financing practice). Staff agreed to return the specific wording for designated…