Fraser planners back revised 255 Mill Avenue sketch plan emphasizing affordable units and underground parking

Town Planner Garrett Scott presented a revised sketch plan for 255 Mill Avenue, a proposed mixed-use development by 255 Mill LLC in the Riverwalk Zone District, at the March 25, 2026 Planning Commission meeting. The revision changes the project from an initial 13 residential units with about 1,800 square feet of commercial space to a plan that could yield 16 total units if the developer uses the affordable-housing density bonus provision.

The change to the affordable-housing density bonus — which requires 20 percent of units be deed-restricted affordable — would require four affordable units in a 16-unit project, Planner Garrett Scott said. The applicants submitted revisions after staff review to avoid accessory-dwelling-unit regulations that would have applied to the existing cottage under the original proposal.

Project Architect Jeff Van Sambeek described design changes that move most required parking underground and access it from the alley, with a drive aisle ramping down to a garden-level basement. "The underground parking solution would accommodate most of the required parking spaces while addressing snow storage concerns," and the design uses "natural materials like brick and stone to create a warmer appearance than typical modern developments," Van Sambeek said. The revision also calls for parallel parking along Mill Avenue to preserve an 8-foot sidewalk in the right-of-way rather than perpendicular spaces that would have conflicted with sidewalk-width requirements.

Planner Scott and commissioners discussed code details that affect the project. Under the town's affordable-housing density-bonus provision, unlimited density is allowed only if 20 percent of units are deed-restricted affordable. Scott also noted the current code allows a 10 percent parking reduction for properties within 250 feet of Highway 40 as a transit corridor; the 255 Mill site falls just outside that buffer and Scott suggested the commission consider expanding the radius to a quarter-mile to better reflect transit access in the Riverwalk Zone.

Commissioners raised design and infrastructure concerns. Chair Andy Miller, who disclosed that he lives adjacent to the project site, asked for attention to building massing, scale, materials and colors to ensure the building fits the single-family homes on either side. Commissioners and staff also flagged potential constraints including whether the alley can handle increased traffic, aging clay sewer lines in the area and the high water table that could complicate underground parking.

The Planning Commission expressed general support for the revised concept and the shift to the affordable-housing density bonus while asking the applicants to refine architectural details. Staff indicated it would direct the applicant to submit a preliminary plat application and an updated sketch plan addressing the architectural concerns; those materials will be reviewed concurrently.

The commission did not take a formal vote to approve the project at this meeting; the next procedural step is the submission of a preliminary plat and updated sketches for staff and commission review.