Plan Commission forwards proposed change to lot-width rule after resident urges exemption for existing homes

The City of Shrewsbury Plan Commission voted Sept. 24 to forward proposed edits to the city code’s minimum lot-width requirement to the City Attorney for legal review after a resident asked the panel to exempt existing lots with dwellings.

Commissioner Garen Miller moved to send the edits and additional context to the City Attorney; Commissioner Patrick Powers seconded and the motion carried by unanimous voice vote. The motion formalizes a step the commission said was needed before any change is recommended to the Board of Aldermen.

Resident Chris Polka, in a presubmitted comment, told the commission many older Shrewsbury lots predate the 1970s rule and said a 50-foot minimum would force owners of slightly-narrow lots to seek a variance to rebuild. “Why is there a restriction in place at all for existing lots with homes already built?” Polka asked, urging the commission to recommend removing the minimum lot width for existing properties or to exempt lots that already contain structures in the same way the code exempts preexisting lots from the 7,500-square-foot area requirement.

Commissioner Paul Sneed asked that the City Attorney be furnished with the recommended code language and be advised that proposed changes to Section 410 may conflict with other sections of the code, including the existing 7,500-square-foot exception, and said a deeper cross-code review will be necessary.

The commission’s action was procedural: it did not change the code on Sept. 24 but directed staff and counsel to evaluate the proposed text and identify any internal conflicts before the commission considers a final recommendation to the Board of Aldermen.

Next steps outlined by commissioners and staff include providing the City Attorney with the draft language and the commission’s context for the proposal and returning the item to the Plan Commission for further discussion at a later meeting.