Planning Commission asks for 90‑day moratorium on new public‑hearing applications to enable land‑code revisions

Planning Commission Chair Norma (chair) asked council on Sept. 9 to adopt a 90‑day moratorium on new applications that require a public hearing—conditional uses, subdivisions and major site plans—so the commission could conduct a concentrated review and prepare code revision recommendations for council consideration.

Chair Norma said the commission has faced an “unprecedented” volume of text amendments and complicated cases and that commissioners need a focused period—what they proposed as 90 days—to address definitions, submission standards in Appendix A, and other items that have repeatedly driven contentious or unclear outcomes at public hearings. She noted the moratorium would not apply to completed applications filed prior to an effective date and suggested council consider whether governmental projects should be exempt.

Council discussion ranged over timing and exemptions: several councilors supported the effort and suggested exempting city‑initiated/government projects so time‑sensitive public works are not delayed; others asked that the moratorium begin after a public notice window (e.g., 30 days) to allow applicants to submit near‑term applications. Some members proposed scheduling standing code‑review meetings annually instead of a one‑off moratorium.

City attorney staff and planning staff discussed practical effects: applications considered complete before the effective date must proceed; applicants typically need multiple weeks to assemble complete materials; and planning commission schedules include an overflow meeting option if agendas grow. Council asked planning commission to provide prioritization guidance on which code topics to tackle first.

No moratorium ordinance was adopted at the workshop; council asked staff to bring a draft with options for exemptions, effective date and public notice for next week’s legislative meeting.

Provenance: Planning Commission chair presentation and the council’s second‑round discussion are recorded from 02:34:40 to 03:21:00 of the workshop.