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Commission directs staff to draft text amendments to allow more multifamily housing in select commercial districts
Summary
The Planning Commission voted to direct staff to draft text amendments that would permit two- and multi-family residential uses in C-3, C-4 and certain X and D zoning districts (with limits in core downtown corridors); staff will return with a public hearing in January.
Planning staff presented an early draft of text amendments intended to expand multifamily residential opportunities in commercial and mixed-use zones. The proposal would, among other changes, make two-family dwellings a conditional use in C-3, allow three- and four-family dwellings and larger multifamily developments in C-3 and C-4 without the current special-use standard, and permit dwellings on the ground floor in specified X-1 and D-1 areas except in core retail corridors along Kansas Avenue where special standards would remain.
Staff said the amendments would remove the need for rezoning in many cases, speeding review for projects that already meet subdivision and site plan requirements. The amendments are intended to support housing development consistent with the city’s land use and growth management plan while preserving retail vitality in designated downtown corridors and protecting historic resources through the Landmarks Commission review where applicable.
Commissioners raised concerns about downtown retail energy and historic preservation if ground-floor storefronts convert to residences, and about condominiumized properties where multiple ownerships could make conversions contentious. Staff noted exceptions and the continued role of site plan, special-use standards, and conditional use processes where appropriate. The commission voted to direct staff to develop the text amendments (initiate 3a and 3b) and to return with draft language and a public hearing at the January meeting.
No final code text was adopted; the action directs staff work and signals the commission’s intent to pursue the amendments through the formal public-notice and hearing process.
