Committee backs recommendation to draft Garden City overlay zoning ordinance tied to CLT

Permitting official Stacy Fairbanks explained to the Health, Education & Welfare Committee on Feb. 27 how an overlay zoning district could give Skagway flexible development rules—such as smaller minimum lots, greater lot coverage and reduced setbacks—targeted to specific areas to enable more housing. "Overlay zoning districts...apply regulations that can be flexible," Fairbanks said, listing ways the overlay could be tailored.

Fairbanks told the committee an overlay could be limited to particular parcels identified in the comprehensive plan and could be applied to both vacant and already developed lots. She cautioned that if the municipality wanted the overlay to guarantee long-term affordability, the easiest enforcement mechanism would be to pair the overlay with CLT-managed parcels; otherwise enforcing affordability on privately developed overlay parcels would be difficult. "For us, I think this is gonna be really hard to achieve...if it is not in a CLT," she said.

During the discussion Chair Alex Waddell and members debated whether to scope the direction narrowly to Garden City or consider multiple overlay districts across the town site. After discussion the committee moved, amended and approved a recommendation that the assembly direct staff to draft a proposed ordinance considering overlay zoning specifically for the Garden City site as it relates to a community land trust; the committee recorded the motion and voted in favor by voice.

What’s next: The committee's motion asks the assembly to direct staff to draft overlay zoning language for the Garden City site (and consider adjacent light-industrial parcels identified in staff's memo) and to bring proposed ordinance language back to the assembly for review.