Lincoln County commissioners split over R-3 zoning changes; two of four amendments pass
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Summary
Commissioners debated four proposed changes to the county's R-3 high-density residential zone. They approved a requirement that R-3 districts lie inside urban growth areas and a rule that R-3 districts be within five road miles of a county fire station; proposals to ban tiny/manufactured homes and to require major-thoroughfare access failed.
Commissioners in Lincoln County spent the bulk of their November meeting debating four proposed changes to the county's R-3 high-density residential zoning district.
A package of amendments introduced by a commissioner would (1) prohibit tiny homes and manufactured homes in R-3, (2) require R-3 districts to be inside an urban growth or county plan growth area, (3) require R-3 districts to be bordered by and accessed from a major thoroughfare, and (4) require R-3 districts to be within five road miles of a county fire station. The commission first considered whether to send the package back to the Planning & Zoning Commission for a formal recommendation; that motion failed on a roll-call vote.
The amendments were then taken up individually. Amendment 2, which confines R-3 to municipal urban-growth boundaries or the county plan growth area, was approved by the commission. The chair said the change will make the county growth plan the primary determinant for where R-3 development can occur.
Amendment 4, which requires R-3 districts to be within five road miles of a county fire station, also passed after extended discussion about fire protection and insurance implications. County staff noted the five-mile rule is an industry standard many builders ask about; fire and insurance officials cautioned that some insurers use different rating systems but said proximity to fire protection remains a common concern for developers.
Amendments 1 and 3 failed. Opponents of Amendment 1 warned that an outright ban on tiny homes and manufactured housing could restrict emerging local manufacturing and affordable housing options. "I have a big problem with that," said Commissioner Cunningham, arguing the county's nascent manufactured-home industry and emerging tiny-home developments could be unfairly excluded. Supporters of the restriction said it was intended to preserve R-3 lot and setback standards.
On Amendment 3, commissioners raised procedural and definitional questions about who would decide what qualifies as a "major thoroughfare"—a state highway, a federal route, or locally designated county roads. That uncertainty contributed to the amendment's failure.
What happens next: the adopted changes will be applied as written and will affect where R-3 development can be proposed in the county. Planning staff and the county's growth-plan process were cited as the mechanisms for implementing and clarifying boundaries going forward.
