Neighbors prevail: Planning commission rejects 3‑unit MUD on Laverne Avenue

The Auburn Planning Commission voted down a conditional‑use request for a three‑unit multiple‑unit development at 613 and 615 Laverne Avenue after extensive public comment from neighbors who said the proposal would harm a longstanding single‑family neighborhood.

More than a half‑dozen residents spoke against the project, citing loss of privacy after recent tree removal, insufficient on‑site parking, existing street parking congestion, and the site’s designation in the future‑land‑use plan as "neighborhood preservation." "We wanna keep it single‑family home... I oppose that greatly," one resident said during public comment. Another neighbor, who said he previously worked in student affairs and knows student housing dynamics, urged the commission to consider families living nearby and the impact of additional density on children and traffic.

Commissioners debated whether the proposal, presented as a multiple‑unit development (MUD), fit the neighborhood preservation intent and also discussed legal limits on unrelated occupancy in the DDH zoning district. The planning director noted that DDH is regulated on units, not beds, and that the proposed unit count complied with density rules; however, several commissioners said the project did not fit the character of the surrounding neighborhood.

A motion to approve CU2025055 was made and seconded; a roll‑call vote recorded two yes votes and five no votes, and the motion failed. The commission noted the item will go to city council for final consideration.

What happens next: The failed recommendation will be forwarded to city council per the commission’s process; neighbors will be notified of that council hearing.