Board rejects ordinance that would have required conditional use permits for downtown restaurants

The Pacific Board of Aldermen voted down an ordinance on Dec. 17 that would have required conditional use permits for restaurants in the city’s C1 (downtown commercial) and C2 (arterial commercial) zoning districts.

The clerk read bill number 5261, described as “an ordinance requiring conditional use permits for restaurants in the C1 downtown commercial and C2 arterial commercial zoning districts.” Supporters said a CUP process would give the board discretion to weigh traffic, site layout and impacts on nearby residences; opponents warned that added review could hinder momentum downtown.

A staff explanation traced the proposal’s origins to an earlier revision to the city’s Title 4 zoning code and noted a past drafting error that left restaurants treated inconsistently; staff said that error was later corrected. During debate one alderman told colleagues the downtown is “going in a positive direction” and opposed restrictions that could slow its growth.

Public comment before the vote raised development concerns: Ray Gullit told the board he had read about the proposal and worried it “is going to create problems for any future development in the city and really slow things down, if not stop them altogether.”

The motion to approve bill 5261 was moved and seconded and then decided by roll call. The clerk recorded votes against the ordinance by Alderman Kelly, Alderman Madrigal and Alderman Meadows and recorded yes votes from Alderman Cleave, Alderman Stewart and Alderman Lesh; the presiding official announced the ordinance had failed.

Because the ordinance did not pass, restaurants in C1 and C2 remain governed by the current zoning code as written.