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Council weighs triplexes, design standards and R-3 overlay for historic small lots; CUP criteria flagged
Summary
Members discussed allowing triplexes and other missing-middle housing types, requested design standards to avoid "boxy" buildings, and asked staff to study an R-3 overlay for small historic lots. Council also asked that conditional-use permit (CUP) criteria for certain project types in the urban growth area be prioritized for code updates.
Commissioners and councilmembers debated whether to expand allowable housing types to include triplexes and other missing-middle forms. Proponents said triplexes and townhome-format units can create additional lower-cost ownership options compared with multiple detached ADUs; critics warned that triplexes can be "boxy" and out-of-scale in established single-family neighborhoods.
There was consensus that if the city allows triplexes in single-family zones, it should adopt design standards to address garage placement, building articulation, roof eaves and other features so new units will fit neighborhood character. Staff suggested producing visual mock-ups showing preferred design treatments.
Separately, staff described historic platted areas where original lot sizes (often 3,000'3,500 sq ft) are well under the current 6,000-sq-ft minimum; owners of those small lots can be functionally nonconforming. Council asked staff to prepare maps and data and to evaluate whether an R-3 overlay or other targeted zoning changes would enable infill while protecting neighborhood form.
Councilmembers also flagged that conditional-use permit (CUP) criteria are incomplete for some urban-area project types (for example, certain lodging or entertainment uses) and recommended moving CUP-criteria updates up the docket to provide clear review standards for larger urban projects.
