Council advances ordinance to change conditional-use permit expiration; asks staff for alternative language

At first reading on Ordinance 25-014, City staff proposed amending the zoning ordinance to change the expiration period for conditional-use permits from one year to two years to account for project delays related to weather and construction season.

"We felt the compromise was to amend the ordinance to allow 2 years for an expiration date," Mike Strzok told the council, adding that peer communities’ timelines vary from one to three years and that the development review team and the planning commission recommended the change.

Council members asked whether recent projects would have benefited from a two-year window. A council member cited a Main Avenue South project that had to reapply because construction delays extended past a one-year permit window. Staff described "significant work" as substantial construction progress such as rough framing or enclosed structures and said the council and planning commission could add conditions or allow extensions.

Council member Tiltonburn proposed asking staff to return with both options: the two-year automatic expiration and a one-year expiration that would allow a one-year administrative or council-granted extension. The council voted by roll call in favor of advancing the ordinance; council members recorded as voting in favor included Hager, Niemeyer, Tiltonburn, Wendell, Avery and Doran.

Ending: The ordinance passed first reading and the council instructed staff to return with example language for both options before the second reading scheduled for July 8.