City council places temporary moratorium on new 'live‑work' uses; applicant asks planning commission to continue active application

City planning staff informed the Planning Commission March 5 that the City Council has enacted a temporary land‑use moratorium on new ‘‘live‑work’’ use types while staff and council clarify a code definition. The moratorium can last up to 180 days or until the code is amended, staff said.

Staff said the live‑work application currently before the commission is vested because it was filed before the moratorium, but the applicant informed staff they are considering other options and requested the commission continue or table the item for one more meeting. Because there were no substantive application updates, staff and the applicant asked that the commission not deliberate on the item at the March 5 work session and instead continue it to a future meeting.

Staff explained the moratorium was adopted because the city believes the live‑work use ‘‘lacks definition’’ in the code and staff intend to begin code‑amendment discussions in April. The moratorium is not zone‑specific and applies wherever live‑work is listed as a use type in the zoning code, staff said.

‘‘The city council has now, implemented a land use moratorium on the live work use type… any new applications for the live work use would be on hold, for a maximum of 180 days and or until such a time where we amend the code to provide a definite of that,’’ a staff member said during the report.

At the March 5 work session the commission did not make a substantive decision on the application and staff indicated they will bring the item back once the applicant provides updated materials or after staff completes the code‑clarification work.