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Council orders public hearings on parking code and first-floor residential rules for the Courthouse Square
Summary
Council asked staff to consolidate three parking-related ordinance changes into a single public hearing and to start a public-hearing process to consider prohibiting residential use on the first floor of buildings facing the Courthouse Square; members discussed enforceability, fines and safety concerns.
Council members debated several downtown land-use and parking items and directed staff to prepare consolidated ordinance language and public hearings.
On parking, council reviewed proposed amendments to Chapter 69 (definitions of allowable surfaces, addition of handicap parking on North Madison and angle parking on East Jefferson). Members discussed the challenge of defining compliant surface materials (gravel vs. concrete), and one member said the current parking-ticket fine ($14, as noted in the packet) is "way too cheap" and suggested raising fines to improve enforceability. Council directed staff to draft clearer definitions and to consolidate the three parking amendments into a single public hearing.
Separately, council reviewed Chapter 165 governing residential use on the Courthouse Square commercial district. Members raised safety concerns for ground-floor residential units (lack of sprinklers and other safety features), economic concerns about preserving street-facing storefronts, and practical questions about existing buildings with front entrances. The council chose to begin the ordinance-change process and set a public hearing to consider removing or tightening allowances for first-floor residences in the square district.
Next steps: staff will prepare consolidated ordinance language for parking and a separate draft for Chapter 165 changes, then schedule public hearings so residents and business owners can comment before the council votes.
