City staff to clarify zoning measurement rules; dimensional limits unchanged

City planning staff said they will move and expand “rules of measurement” language to a new location in the draft zoning code and add more detail on how to measure building heights, setbacks and stories, saying the changes are procedural and will not change existing dimensional limits.

Jake, a city planning staff member, told the meeting the code updates are intended to “tell you how to apply the dimensional standards” and that “it's not gonna change anything. ... it's just how you do it.” He said the rules will be moved to Article 7 and that the broader recalibration is meant to reduce miscommunication about base planes, height measurement and other measurement points.

The staff presentation said the revised rules of measurement will clarify how to apply dimensional standards across zone districts, and that a related revision will update the summary of dimensional standards so it aligns with the amended zone-district provisions. Mayor and staff comments during the meeting reiterated that the work is technical: moving measurement provisions and adding specificity rather than changing maximum heights or lot coverage.

City staff also noted examples that prompted changes: inconsistent interpretations about where a building’s “base plane” sits on sloping streets and earlier conflicts when height was measured “to the peak” rather than to a standardized reference point.

Staff said this clarification is meant to benefit both the public and the development community by managing expectations about how the code is applied. No formal vote or final adoption language was recorded in the transcript excerpt; staff said they will make the changes “as soon as possible.”

The discussion moved on afterward to plan-district matters and other code topics.