Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development Priorities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Staff outlines 2026 development priorities: permits, business center, housing, goats pilot and No Mow May research
Summary
City staff previewed permit-system upgrades, staffing needs and a late‑summer/fall launch of a business center tied to the rec center expansion; the commission also discussed a goats pilot for invasive species and asked staff to prepare background on No Mow May.
City staff laid out the Community & Economic Development department’s priorities for 2026, including online permit process improvements, a review of permitting software, staffing recruitment, housing support and a business-center launch tied to the rec center expansion.
Juliana Stowes said staff are revamping online applications to reduce back-and-forth with applicants, updating public guidance, and evaluating whether to replace or retain current permitting software. She said the department is recruiting a residential building inspector and considering longer-term staffing needs for planning, zoning and inspection operations.
Stowes described a planned business center connected to the rec center expansion, targeted for a late-summer or fall launch, intended to serve as a one-stop resource for startups and entrepreneurs with programming developed with local and state partners.
Commmissioners discussed housing and infill opportunities, including using city-owned parcels (for example the former Pepsi/Streets Garage building was mentioned as city property) and incentives or partnerships (Habitat for Humanity and state incentives were discussed as examples). Stowes said some recent permit activity: 636 permits issued in 2025 (505 building, 131 zoning) resulting in $598,982 in fee revenue; November had 38 permits (~$15,000) and December 22 permits (~$4,400). She noted occupancy was granted for 75 new apartments including River North Cottages and 223 South Division Street’s 30-unit building.
On the goats pilot, commissioners recalled a prior temporary permission that had timing issues; staff said a permit process with containment criteria, duration limits and application criteria could allow future goat-based invasive species management without requiring repeated Plan Commission review for each instance. Commissioners asked staff to draft language when time permits and requested background on No Mow May (ecological pros/cons and enforcement implications).
Next steps: staff will continue permit-system work, proceed with recruitment, prepare materials on No Mow May and, if feasible, draft a permit-based approach for goat use for commission review.
