Planning commission tables proposal to rezone C3 parcels to C2 pending clearer maps and permit checks

At a recent Planning Commission meeting, members debated an ordinance to rezone multiple parcels from central business (C3) to neighborhood commercial (C2) to protect existing homes from losing residential status when vacant. Commissioners said the change would preserve single-family occupancy rights and add setback protections that C3 zoning currently lacks.

The matter arose during old business, when staff explained that properties vacant longer than six months may lose their residential, nonconforming status and revert to commercial uses, a rule that has caused concern for homeowners and buyers. Commissioners asked whether the vacancy trigger in the draft ordinance could be extended from six months to a year to give owners more time for renovation or re-occupation; they also emphasized that active construction or renovation should not be treated as vacancy.

Members spent substantial time verifying which parcels the draft would affect, noting that the packet used parcel numbers without clear street addresses. Several commissioners said the list as presented was difficult to cross-check and requested an address column and clearer map zooms in future materials. "We don't have access right now to look each one of these up," one committee member said, pressing staff to add addresses and make the map easier to follow.

Staff and commissioners also raised site-specific infrastructure questions. The Royal Oak/Jerusalem/Highway 150 area was highlighted for recurring flooding and storm-drain concerns; some commissioners urged leaving parcels within identified storm-drain areas unchanged until drainage and buildability are better understood.

Commissioners asked staff to confirm permit histories and sale/vacancy dates for particular properties, including one cited property on Highway 150 where staff reported only a gas-release permit in the record and no building permits. The zoning staff said they would investigate whether nonconforming status or a lack of required permits affects the parcels under review.

Given the outstanding mapping, address, permit, and drainage questions, the commission voted to table consideration of the ordinance amendment and asked staff to return with an updated packet and map that includes addresses and the corrected parcel list before the item proceeds to council.

The commission asked that the rezoning proposal be re-posted with the clarified parcel information and that staff verify building-permit histories and vacancy/sale dates; the item will return at a future meeting for a final recommendation to council.