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Downtown design rules tightened; staff seeks to require on‑site parking for new residential projects
Summary
Amendment Package 2 includes new urban-core (Article 8) rules that raise design standards and require residential projects in downtown to meet on‑site parking minimums. Staff also proposed removing freestanding pole signs in the city center and strengthening maintenance and facade landscaping requirements.
City of Caldwell planners proposed a set of changes to the downtown and urban‑core zoning in Amendment Package 2, focusing on pedestrian design, signage, building form and parking standards.
Robin Collins and Joe Dodson said the downtown content was moved from other articles into a single urban‑core article (Article 8) and updated to reference the City’s Downtown Framework Master Plan. Among the notable changes presented:
- Parking and residential requirements: Staff proposed that residential projects in the downtown city center and central business districts must provide full on‑site parking for their units rather than relying on relaxed downtown reductions. Collins said the change is more restrictive than current practice and is intended to ensure adequate parking for residents of new apartment or condominium buildings.
- Design and minimum building standards: The draft includes a minimum-stories expectation in downtown city center (generally a minimum of two stories for new construction that supports mixed‑use retail on the ground floor). The package also strengthens facade and design standards, requiring variation in materials, building modulation and pedestrian‑scale elements.
- Signs and streetscape: The sign code is rewritten to be content neutral. Staff proposed eliminating freestanding pole signs in the city center, favoring monument, wall and projecting signs that match a pedestrian environment. Staff also proposed limits for standalone reader boards and restricting chain‑link fencing within downtown except for construction sites.
- Vacant lots and upkeep: Draft language would require active surface treatment for vacant lots in the downtown if they remain unused for 180 days, to prevent “dirt lot” blight. Staff said acceptable treatments would include landscaping, rock or other durable surfacing.
- Parking reductions and thresholds: Staff said they revised downtown parking rules to reflect pedestrian character: on‑street parking is taken into account, but staff stressed that residential developments must meet full on‑site residential parking standards. The downtown proposals also remove or restrict certain land uses (for example, drive‑throughs in the city center and standalone auto uses) to preserve a walkable downtown character.
Commissioner input and next steps
Commissioners generally supported higher design standards but pressed staff for clarity on how new parking requirements would interact with existing projects and the market. Several commissioners said they wanted clear guidance on how density bonuses and downtown parking interact and asked for training or a detailed briefing before the language goes to council.
Staff said the changes will be reviewed by the city attorney and brought forward for council workshops; no formal actions were taken at the workshop.
Ending: Staff asked for written feedback from commissioners to refine design standards and parking formulas ahead of legal review and council review.
