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Libby council revises zoning rules: carport limits struck; home-occupation, landscaping and height language updated
Summary
After a lengthy hearing, the council struck accessory-use restrictions on portable carports, narrowed propane-front-yard bans, revised home-occupation language, softened landscaping mandates, and set clearer height and conditional-use parameters for the residential-business transition district.
The Libby City Council spent a substantial portion of the meeting reviewing proposed zoning-code changes and approved multiple targeted edits to accessory uses, home-occupation rules, landscaping requirements, and height/transition standards.
Councilors debated striking language that would have prohibited nonpermanent carport structures (section B of accessory uses). After discussion about housing supply, aesthetics and enforcement, a motion to strike Section B passed. Council then voted to strike subsections B and C in 17.12.100 across related residential districts and to carry similar deletions into the A2 and B districts.
Members also discussed home-occupation limits that would bar on-site customers and direct sales. Councilor (Speaker 3) objected that the 50% or 25% interior-use limits could penalize modern, low-impact income sources, saying, "I have a YouTube channel... I'm using all of my house to film YouTube videos." Council agreed to leave home-occupation language for further refinement and asked staff to compare other cities' wording.
On landscaping and taller buildings, the council moved to change mandatory phrasing ("will be placed") to discretionary wording ("could be placed") and to add a clear definition of "landscaping" in the code; the motion carried. The council also debated and then amended height language for the residential-business district to set a 45-foot maximum and to reference conditional-use review to preserve transitions to neighboring properties.
Public commenters supported some of the deletions (for example, striking the carport prohibition) and raised procedural concerns about notice and minutes for prior committee meetings. Council members said revised text will be assembled and returned to council for a final check before first and second readings.
The council did not finalize every definition and left several items (home-occupation percentages and detailed transition formulas) for further drafting by staff and the zoning commission.
