Commission recommends code changes to require covered, lit mail kiosks and tighten parking-lighting standards

The planning commission on March 19 voted to recommend several zoning ordinance amendments to the board of commissioners, including requiring covered, lit mail kiosks with dedicated parking and adding standards for parking-lot lighting, conduit (no 'channel post'), and bollard color.

City planner John explained the amendments implement long-standing staff requests about kiosk design and parking access now that USPS delivery is often centralized at kiosk sites. "If you have a mail kiosk, it has to be covered, lit, and include parking," John said. Commissioners discussed whether kiosks should be allowed inside subdivision amenity centers; several commissioners argued kiosks in amenity centers should instead be inside heated, secured buildings with dedicated parking. One commissioner suggested requiring additional kiosks once subdivisions exceed a threshold (for example, every 100 homes) to avoid excessive queuing at one location.

Commissioners and staff noted USPS centralized-delivery rules may constrain municipality options: a commissioner said USPS uses the term "centralized" and might not permit multiple kiosks for a single development. Commissioners asked staff to draft clearer design standards (materials, lighting levels, pull-off/drop-off design) and to include kiosk design in PMDP submittals so applicants address the details up front. A public commenter arriving late, cyclist Sally Hey Robertson, was informed the related streets-and-pedestrian amendment (item 9a) was deferred to the May meeting and was invited to return.

The commission approved a positive recommendation to the board of commissioners with direction to staff to refine technical design standards and clarify how the code will handle amenity-centered kiosks and variance requests.