Planning commission recommends landscape‑features ordinance to city commission, keeps seasonal decorations

The Huntington Woods Planning Commission voted to send a revised landscape‑features zoning ordinance to the city commission with a recommended change to preserve seasonal decorations and avoid an overly broad definition of nonpermanent residential features.

City Attorney Matthew Zaleski summarized edits stemming from prior meetings, including a proposed definition for nonpermanent residential landscape features and alignment of setbacks with existing accessory‑structure provisions. Commissioners expressed concern that an overly broad definition could unintentionally regulate holiday displays or private gardens and flagged potential First Amendment issues if the ordinance treated seasonal decorations as content‑based.

After debate about whether to retain numerical or size limits, and whether to treat gardens and vegetable plots as permanent or nonpermanent features, a commissioner moved to recommend the ordinance to the city commission with two deletions (B4 and B6 of §40‑6), effectively allowing seasonal decorations and avoiding a rigid numerical limit. The motion carried on a voice vote. The commission noted the city commission retains the authority to amend the ordinance at adoption and that staff would supply finalized language and consistent defined terms.

Commissioners asked staff to ensure defined terms are capitalized consistently, to clarify the distinction between permanent and nonpermanent landscape features, and to prepare a clean final draft for the city commission review.