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Commission asks staff to explore redevelopment-friendly LDR approaches after business concerns
Summary
Commissioners asked planning staff to prepare options for easing redevelopment barriers after a commissioner described cases where site-development requirements delayed or increased costs for businesses; Planning Director Eileen Henson said the code contains an urban-infill/redevelopment pathway and staff will bring options for discussion.
Commissioners discussed barriers to redevelopment and whether the city’s Land Development Regulations (LDRs) create obstacles for businesses seeking to reuse vacant or blighted properties.
Commissioner Bailey Bridal (District 1) described a case where a prospective business faced roughly $70,000 in site-development landscaping requirements and asked whether the city could offer a different pathway to encourage reuse. Bridal said the city has several long-vacant properties and asked whether staff could propose options that make redevelopment more feasible without sacrificing core standards.
Planning Director Eileen Henson responded that the code already contains an “urban infill/redevelopment” provision that allows staff to work with applicants on smaller sites with existing improvements to bring them as close to code as feasible. She cited examples staff has handled — including small retail conversions and infill projects — where the city adjusted parking or setback requirements when the existing building or lot constrained full compliance.
Commissioners explored policy choices: whether to adopt formal redeveloper incentives, allow phased compliance, or adopt separate standards for redevelopment versus greenfield development. Commissioners cautioned against applying case-by-case exceptions that might appear to favor one applicant; staff agreed to prepare a general work-session presentation with examples that illustrate what redevelopment compliance would cost under current rules and what targeted adjustments might look like.
The commission asked staff to present hypothetical examples and options (for instance, scaled landscaping, parking-count adjustments, or phased requirements) at an upcoming work session so the commission could consider a uniform policy rather than individual case exceptions. Staff said they would bring sample scenarios and legal considerations for the commission to review.
