Planning and Zoning Commission rejects proposed P&Z composition rule, votes to continue debate to June 4

The Planning and Zoning Commission on May 7 considered Ordinance 24‑25, a council initiative to prescribe preferred professional backgrounds for commission members and limit representation from any single preferred profession. The original proposal sought to encourage representation from architecture, planning, landscape architecture, engineering, construction, land use law and real estate, and included a sentence that “no more than 2 members from any individual preferred profession may be appointed as regular members concurrently.”

Chad Voitko, principal planner, outlined the ordinance as a composition measure intended to broaden professional diversity on the commission. Assistant City Attorney Cody Von Birch advised that, if adopted, the rule would apply prospectively: “No. It would be applied…