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Plan Commission forwards multiple UDO text amendments, removes one chapter for further review
Summary
The commission forwarded a package of Unified Development Ordinance amendments — including revised garage/driveway setbacks, R‑6 height increase, clarification of permitted utility impacts and a short‑term rental definition — and removed a Chapter 7.31 utility standards change for additional legal review.
The Lebanon Plan Commission voted to forward a bundle of text amendments to the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to the Common Council, while removing one proposed change to Chapter 7.31 (utility standards) for further review with legal counsel.
Ben Bontrager summarized the package as a set of technical and policy clarifications discovered since the UDO’s adoption two years ago. Key items included adjustments to residential setbacks to increase the front‑load garage setback (25–30 feet) while allowing building fronts to move closer to streets; an increase in allowable building height in the R‑6 district (from 50 to 60 feet) to permit four‑story apartment buildings; and changes to where major and minor utility impacts are permitted or conditional to better reflect expected uses.
Bontrager said staff also cleaned conflicting signage standards, clarified that solar installations must meet the stormwater ordinance requirements, and added a short‑term rental definition consistent with industry practice: rentals for periods of less than 30 consecutive days. On short‑term rental enforcement, staff said the violation process is property‑specific and that the typical practice is to notify the property owner and give seven business days to correct or contact the city before issuing citations.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about visibility triangles, downtown exemptions, and how violations for multiple short‑term rental properties owned by the same entity are handled; staff said enforcement is applied per property and follow‑up is property‑specific. The commission voted to forward the amendments to the Common Council with a favorable recommendation, removing the Chapter 7.31 change from the package for additional drafting and legal review.
