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Ross council debates exempting routine siding work from demolition permits, resists broad FAR exception
Summary
Council discussed a proposal to exempt in-kind or fire-safety exterior work from demolition permits and weighed creating a separate floor-area (FAR) exception process. Members favored limited exemptions (in-kind or fire-improvement) and expressed concern that an exception route could introduce subjectivity and neighbor conflicts.
Ross town council members discussed proposed zoning-code changes that would let routine exterior wall work proceed with a building permit rather than a demolition permit, while separately debating whether to create a new exception process for increases in floor-area ratio (FAR). The discussion focused on where to draw the line between administrative efficiency and maintaining design-review oversight.
The conversation opened with Speaker 1 asking whether it is appropriate for neighbors to act as approvers. Speaker 2 replied that "neighbor consent provisions and zoning rules are illegal. They're unconstitutional," framing the legal limit on giving neighbors veto authority. Planning staff clarified the existing practice: the only time neighbors formally…
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