Planning commission asks staff to reinstate "lot split" option in subdivision code

Members of the Lewiston Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday asked staff to begin the process of restoring a "lot split" subdivision option that was removed during a December 2024 update to the city's subdivision code.

Commissioners and staff said the lot-split provision — which allows one parcel to be split into two without undergoing the full subdivision review and improvement requirements — had been removed when the city adopted a new, state-mandated code last winter. Commissioners said the change has created situations where property owners who want to divide an existing large lot would have to follow the full subdivision process, including possible curb, gutter and sidewalk installation.

"What the lot split subdivision is is when somebody wants to take a parcel of land and they wanna split off a piece of it," Abel, planning staff, told the commission during the discussion. Abel said the current code forces applicants into a full subdivision application that often requires street and utility improvements that do not fit small, one-to-two lot splits.

Commissioners noted that the city already uses a size carve-out for small subdivisions (discussed in the meeting as "10 or less" lots) and that some municipalities limit lot-split-style review to even smaller groupings (one commissioner noted an example using three or fewer lots). Commissioners said reinstating the prior lot-split language would allow staff and the commission discretion to require improvements only when adjacent properties already have curb, gutter or sidewalks, and to waive them when they do not.

One commissioner moved to "put it back the way it was," and members signaled support for asking staff to draft the reinstatement and consult with the city attorney. Abel said staff will prepare language and that the item will require a public hearing before the commission and later referral to city council. Commissioners said they would aim to return the provision to the code before the end of the calendar year but did not set a binding deadline.

The discussion also covered constraints in state law and the city code that determine when a split is allowed. Abel said one restriction in the current code is that a parcel that has already been split previously would not qualify for a subsequent lot-split exemption, forcing a full subdivision if additional lots are being created.

Next steps: staff will draft code language for a lot-split subdivision option, consult the city attorney, and schedule a public hearing before returning the item to the commission.