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Urban Design Commission backs rezoning recommendation for SPUD 01780 with 25-foot minimum lot-width condition
Summary
The Urban Design Commission recommended approval of a rezoning (SPUD 01780) in the Scenic River Overlay, conditioning its recommendation on revised PUD language setting a 25-foot minimum lot width to ensure adequate setbacks for proposed duplexes.
The Urban Design Commission voted to recommend approval of a rezoning application, SPUD 01780, for four parcels within the Scenic River Overlay Design District, provided the applicant revises PUD language to state a minimum lot width of 25 feet. The recommendation will be forwarded to the Planning Commission.
Laura Griggs of the Planning Department introduced the item as "a rezoning application that's currently located in SRODD, and you would be providing a recommendation that would be forwarded to the planning commission." Griggs described the site as four parcels north of River Park, some vacant and some with former homes torn down, and explained staff's preference to keep the SRODD boundary contiguous until a formal boundary change is pursued.
During discussion a commissioner raised a question about ambiguity in the PUD wording around a "20 foot" measure. Speaker 3 said the PUD text as drafted could be read multiple ways, linking the phrases "minimum lot width" and "1 dwelling unit per 20 feet" in a manner that might not allow adequate side-yard setbacks for duplexes. "It could be interpreted multiple ways," the commissioner warned.
Caitlin Turner, representing the applicant, responded: "So to answer your question, that's going to allow for the duplex on a lot that maybe isn't compliant with the current bulk standards for minimum lot width for the R 2 District. ... So 1 half of the duplex would be the 20 feet. The other half would be 20 feet. In total, it would be a 40 foot lot width." Turner said the provision allows units to be rentals or owner-occupied and applies per dwelling unit if the units were platted and sold separately.
Commissioners and staff agreed that revising the PUD sentence to read "minimum lot width shall be 25 feet" would better accommodate setback requirements. Speaker 3 moved "to provide a recommendation of approval to the planning commission on the basis that the proposed rezoning to SPUD 01780 complies with the intent of the Scenic River overlay design district zoning ordinance ... contingent upon ... the last sentence be revised to state minimum lot width shall be 25 feet." The motion was seconded and the Chair announced the motion passed; the transcript does not record a numerical vote tally.
The action is a recommendation to the Planning Commission, not a final rezoning decision. The applicant and attorney were present in the gallery; next steps are for the Planning Commission to consider the recommendation and any related materials on the docket.
Clarifying details recorded at the meeting include the following: the application covers four parcels; staff framed the change as preserving SRODD contiguousness until a formal boundary revision occurs; the PUD language ambiguity centered on whether "20 feet" referred to a dwelling unit width or a lot width, and the Commission settled on a 25-foot minimum lot width to allow setbacks.
The Commission's discussion and conditional recommendation will be part of the Planning Commission's record when it takes up SPUD 01780.
