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Council signals preference to revise River Road plan, open mixed‑use zones to higher density
Summary
Staff presented Phase 2 zoning and code updates, including River Road RMX options and proposed removal of a limited commercial (CL) zone. Council favored revising the River Road corridor plan to allow more market‑driven uses (Option 2) while maintaining planning guardrails; members also urged higher density and increased height allowances in UCX/CCX areas.
Katie Baker, planning manager, briefed the council on Phase 2 of the zoning map and code updates, focusing on mixed‑use zones and commercial categories the city intends to streamline.
Baker walked the council through five mixed‑use designations (LMX, CMX, RMX, UCX and CCX), described their current applications around the city and reviewed options for the River Road corridor. For River Road the staff laid out three choices: repeal the corridor plan and adopt more general mixed‑use or commercial zoning (Option 1); retain the plan but remove policies that discourage auto‑oriented uses (Option 2); or restart a community planning process for the corridor (Option 3).
“Option 2 would revise the River Road corridor plan to remove policies that prohibit some auto‑oriented uses while retaining a planning framework,” Baker said, noting internal consistency issues that would need to be resolved if large land‑intensive uses were allowed next to pedestrian‑oriented policies.
Several council members expressed support for Option 2 as a practical path forward. Deputy Mayor Johnson urged flexibility: “I would say look at expanding it, but why couldn't we have an overlay so that if some developer wanted to develop residential then they could certainly do that,” he said. Council members also pressed for higher density and greater height allowances in appropriate zones and discussed allowing more commercial uses where market conditions support them.
Baker also reviewed proposed changes to the city’s commercial zones and recommended removing the sparsely applied CL limited commercial zone; remaining parcels would be rezoned to a limited mixed‑use designation or, where suitable, a general commercial zone. Staff outlined a phased schedule: policy direction from council, follow‑up work with the planning commission this spring and summer, a planning commission public hearing in the fall, and return to council for final ordinance consideration in November–December.
Council members asked staff to bring specific alternatives addressing height, density ranges, auto‑oriented uses, and small‑business protections (for example, ground‑floor commercial preservation and notice to tenants/property owners) as the amendments proceed through the planning commission.
No formal zoning votes were taken at the study session; staff will incorporate council direction into follow‑up materials and draft code amendments.
