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Commission refers subdivision, ADU and soil ordinance amendments to Town Council
Summary
Fairfield’s Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously on Dec. 4 to forward three ordinance amendments—changes to the subdivision ordinance (Town Code 10.15), accessory dwelling unit rules (10.11), and the soil ordinance (5.3)—to the Town Council for consideration after clarifying review procedures and testing requirements.
The Fairfield Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously voted Dec. 4 to refer three proposed ordinance amendments to the Town Council: amendments to the town subdivision ordinance (Fairfield Town Code 10.15), accessory dwelling unit regulations (Chapter 10.11), and revisions to the soil ordinance (Chapter 5.3).
On the subdivision ordinance, commissioners debated whether minor-subdivision approvals should rest solely with the town administrator or be subject to Planning & Zoning review. Commissioner 4 argued the commission should review minor subdivisions to increase transparency; other commissioners favored a hybrid approach in which the town administrator would review and make recommendations and Planning & Zoning would perform a final compliance check to avoid delays. The motion to send the draft amendment to council passed with recorded votes of Jane (yes), Kylie/Kyla (yes), David (yes) and Wayne (yes).
Commissioner 4 also moved to forward an ordinance amending ADU permitting and definitions (Town Code 10.11 and Title 12) to the council; the motion passed unanimously.
Regarding the soil ordinance, staff acknowledged the packet initially contained the old version of the ordinance but said the item was properly noticed on the agenda and could proceed. Staff described two substantive edits: requiring soil testing before subdivision approval (or before site plan/building permit if subdivision predated the ordinance), and clarifying sample-site minimums (3 samples for parcels under 1 acre; minimum 5 samples for 1–5 acres; base 5 plus one additional sample per each 5 acres above 5). Commissioners asked whether full technical reports or a professional synopsis would suffice; staff said the ordinance requires a soil report under industry standards, including testing locations, procedures and signed professional findings.
Each referral was approved by a roll-call vote and will be presented to the Town Council for the next step in the adoption process.
