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Planning commission asks council to prioritize 12 topics including ADUs, trail signage and fence standards
Summary
The Planning Commission told the City Council it wants to shift from reactive reviews to proactive proposals and listed a dozen topics (ADUs, placemaking/trail signage, setback/height consistency, lighting, sidewalk/road audits, bike-lane standards, zone overlays, and fence standards) for council prioritization by email.
Planning Commission Chair Chris Howden presented a prioritized set of policy topics March 3, asking the City Council to indicate which items staff and commissioners should pursue in the coming year.
Howden said the commission wants to be “a little more activist” by developing proposals for council consideration rather than only reacting to developer-led applications. He listed about a dozen possible initiatives: accessory dwelling unit (ADU) code reconciliation (noting House Bill 477 may change state requirements), placemaking and trail signage for wayfinding, city branding and gateway design, setback and building-height consistency across zones, zone-overlay language (for things like senior-housing bonus density), lighting standards to reduce glare, a sidewalk and road audit plus bike-lane standards, chamber-of-commerce/business engagement, and fence standards.
Councilmembers suggested prioritizing items via email so staff can fold commissioners’ recommendations into the city’s overall priority and budget lists. Rob (staff) clarified the planning commission’s role—general-plan recommendation, zoning updates and limited land-use authority—and recommended staff return with proposals aligned to council priorities. Council and commissioners agreed to use email to triage topics and identify staff time implications before launching work sessions.
No formal policy changes were made at the meeting; the council agreed to create a prioritization list and to coordinate commission involvement on high-priority items.
