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Auburn council advances ordinance to streamline paint and awning approvals
Summary
After a staff presentation, the council held the first reading of an ordinance to expedite approvals for building repaints and awnings in Old Town/Downtown, aiming to encourage investment while preserving historic character; council clarified it does not allow painting previously unpainted masonry.
Auburn’s City Council held a public hearing June 1 and voted to hold the first reading of an ordinance designed to streamline city approvals for minor exterior work such as paint and awnings in Old Town and Downtown.
Planning staff told the council the proposal removes the requirement for many small repaint and awning matters to go to a public hearing by creating an expedited permitting path. "As you recall from my very dry presentation at the last city council meeting, we discussed streamlining ordinances and doing revisions to modernize our code," the staff presenter said, and added the change is intended to "minimize those obstacles" that currently discourage investment.
The staff report noted the Historic Design Review Commission and Planning Commission reviewed the draft and recommended approval. Staff also described accompanying design guidance and two historic color palettes that HDRC can update by resolution in the future; the Downtown Business Association has set aside $10,000 for a façade improvement grant to help property owners pay for paint and materials.
Councilmembers expressed broad support for encouraging maintenance and more distinctive building colors while protecting historic features. One councilmember emphasized the ordinance "does not affect unpainted buildings" and that anything that is true masonry would not be eligible for the expedited paint path. Following that clarification, a councilmember moved to hold the ordinance’s first reading; the motion passed on a roll call vote with council members voting in the affirmative.
The action is procedural: holding the first reading advances the ordinance to the next step. The council has not adopted the ordinance; staff said the HDRC color palettes and the ordinance language will be brought back for final action and implementation details and that staff will do a public outreach campaign explaining the new, faster permit pathway.
