Consultant outlines zoning‑ordinance rewrite to implement small‑area plans; commission urges tailored, predictable rules

A consultant team described the city’s effort to align its zoning ordinance with the small‑area plans the city adopted after the comprehensive plan update. Justin Wallace of White & Smith told the Planning Commission the project’s goal is to resolve gaps between policy and the zoning code and to make "the right things easy" for applicants and staff.

The presentation laid out project phases — discovery, strategy development and ordinance drafting — and summarized eight issue buckets: (1) aligning zoning with small‑area plan policies, (2) clear pathways for mixed‑use development, (3) consistent open‑space definitions, (4) utilities and streetscape policies, (5) incentivizing community benefits, (6) flexible development frontage options for activity centers, (7) process clarity to reduce reliance on special exceptions, and (8) infrastructure coordination for larger projects.

Commissioners welcomed the focus on predictability. Several members cautioned against a too‑broad “by‑right” approach that could enable uses the community finds unexpected; Commissioners urged the team to allow nuance across different activity centers and to build review processes that preserve public input on novel or potentially sensitive uses.

Next steps: the consultant team said it is nearing a draft strategy report and will bring recommendations to staff and the commission for feedback before drafting ordinance language to present to City Council.