Council advances text amendment clarifying setback exception for infill development

The Stillwater City Council on Dec. 1 advanced a text amendment (Ordinance 35‑89) to the land development code that changes how a front‑yard 'setback exception' is applied for properties abutting wide local streets.

Henry Bibelheimer of Development Services explained the current rule requires a 100‑foot continuous right‑of‑way for the entire block to qualify for a 50% front‑yard setback reduction. The proposed amendment would allow the exception to apply based on the right‑of‑way directly in front of a property — either a minimum 100‑foot width or a platted centerline at least 50 feet from the property line — enabling more infill development on older plats.

Bibelheimer said staff also proposed expanding the list of zoning districts eligible for the exception to include multifamily and other districts where no reason to exclude them was found. He told council this change was prompted by recent projects encountering the continuous‑block restriction and the amendment is intended as a near‑term fix ahead of a broader Chapter 23 code update.

Builder representatives spoke in support: Stephen Gose of Gose and Associates said the change would help developers and the builder relations committee that reviewed the language. The Planning Commission recommended approval unanimously (11/04/2025), and the council advanced the ordinance to second reading with a 4‑0 vote.

Next steps: the amendment will return for second reading and will be incorporated into the broader Chapter 23 rewrite.