Planning board debates lot‑grading, fill limits and shoreline rules; staff to refine draft

Planning staff presented a draft lot‑grading ordinance and resilient‑shoreline measures on April 30 intended to limit harmful fill, preserve natural buffers and create a clearer review process for shoreline and low‑lying properties.

Staff explained the draft would create a new “lot grading” article so rules for impervious surface, lot‑grading review and fill could be consolidated rather than scattered across chapters. Staff said the draft attempts to codify measures already used administratively and to create a tiered review process for neighborhoods with different stormwater and resiliency conditions. Staff noted the draft includes a proposed maximum fill limit and new requirements for tapering fill near shorelines.

Public commenters urged different outcomes. In a written comment read into the record, Kevin Priester opposed new bulkheads and seawalls and said “[t]here is no way that any fill or shoreline modification will have no negative impact on the adjacent waterway,” arguing the city should encourage houses on piers or stem walls rather than hardened shorelines. Donna Dove, a homeowner in South Davis Shores, asked…