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Planning board forwards parking‑minimums update to council, keeps home‑occupation parking rule
Summary
The Auburn Planning Board voted to forward staff changes aligning local code with state law LD427 to city council, with an amendment preserving the home‑occupation parking provision and keeping off‑street parking as a special‑exception use in one zone.
The Auburn Planning Board voted to forward staff‑recommended zoning edits that implement LD427 — the state law limiting municipal off‑street parking requirements to one space per dwelling unit and permitting off‑site parking within a quarter‑mile — to the City Council for adoption, with a targeted exception and an amendment.
Staff explained proposed edits to remove inconsistent local provisions that required more parking than the state now allows and to clarify that off‑street parking remains an allowed use (as a special‑exception) in certain districts. Board members debated provisions related to home occupations (commercial uses inside a dwelling): one board member argued the city should retain the local provision that ties required parking to the size of a home‑occupation area; others said the state law’s intent is to prevent overly prescriptive local parking minima.
After public comment (a neighborhood representative raised concerns about parking pressure on Elm Street in connection with a recent Academy Street project), the board voted to forward the changes to council but approved an amendment to retain paragraph 9 of section 60‑738 (the provision concerning one parking space per specified home‑occupation area). That amendment passed on a 5‑2 vote; the amended motion to forward the package passed unanimously.
The matter will move to City Council for final consideration and adoption.
