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Commission discusses zoning options and attainable housing for comprehensive-plan update
Summary
Commissioners asked staff for options to address minimum lot-size constraints and to bring forward trends for attainable housing as part of the 2024 comprehensive-plan update; staff said consultants provided approaches and staff will review deed indentures and neighborhood conditions before proposing changes.
Commissioners spent a substantive portion of the May 21 meeting discussing whether the city’s single residential zoning district and current minimum lot-size rules are constraining efforts to add more attainable housing.
Commissioner Petrie Powell asked staff to present alternatives and recent trends — such as smaller lot sizes, shared common spaces and clustered housing — that other communities use to increase housing options without losing neighborhood character. Powell asked whether the commission could pursue incremental rezoning to bring nonconforming areas into compliance rather than waiting for a comprehensive plan rezone.
Carlos Trejo said the comprehensive-plan update (referenced for 2024) and consultant work include attainable-housing objectives and recent trends; staff has begun reviewing subdivision indentures and trustee agreements (Arrowhead Park, Chevy Chase) to understand original setbacks, deed restrictions and the practical constraints on reinvestment. He said the immediate focus is to support reinvestment in existing housing stock where feasible and to build support before proposing zoning changes.
The discussion did not result in a formal motion; staff agreed to present planning options and consultant findings at a future meeting to inform the comprehensive-plan housing component.
