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Council asks staff for study of lot coverage/impervious-surface limits to protect green space and affordability
Summary
Council directed staff and the town attorney to prepare a study of options to limit lot coverage or impervious surface, including three regulatory approaches and a data assessment of current coverage and neighboring jurisdictions; no ordinance was introduced—council requested a data-driven report.
Council debated a proposed amendment to limit lot coverage and impervious-surface area to preserve town greenery and long-term housing diversity. Councilmember Shannon (and others) argued the town is "paving over too much" and recommended exploring a lot-coverage or impervious-surface limit to protect green space, stormwater performance and housing diversity.
Ron, the town attorney, told the council state law authorizes regulation of lot coverage and outlined three approaches: a building-coverage requirement (building footprint only); total impervious coverage (counting driveways, patios, walkways; option excludes permeable materials if defined); and a total non-vegetative surface coverage (a front-yard percentage used in some nearby towns). Ron recommended a data assessment of recent site plans and permit files so council can select an appropriate percentage and suggested a sliding scale or lot-size segmentation rather than a single uniform cap.
Council reached consensus to commission a study: staff (Steve and permit files) or a consultant will evaluate recent permits (last 10–20 builds), estimate current impervious coverage across lot-size segments, collect sample ordinances from neighboring jurisdictions, and return with recommended terms and draft language.
What happens next: Ron and staff will define the study scope and data needs; staff to provide examples of neighboring ordinances and a pilot dataset from recent permits for council review before drafting any ordinance.
