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Gladstone commission recommends comprehensive plan and design-review code updates to city council
Summary
The commission voted Sept. 16 to forward TXT-25-03, a package of comprehensive plan text and design-review criteria updates, to the city council for an Oct. 14 public hearing. Changes clarify objective standards, adjust review thresholds and remove the city's newspaper-notice requirement in favor of online outreach and newsletter notification.
The Gladstone Planning Commission voted Sept. 16 to recommend that the City Council hold a public hearing on a package of code changes (file TXT-25-03) that would clarify design-review criteria, set clearer thresholds for staff-level review and update public-notice procedures.
Planning staff told the commission the package aims to make standards "as clear and objective as possible" so that smaller applications can be decided at staff level while larger or more impactful land uses remain before the commission. Staff proposed exemptions for very small work (250 square feet not visible from the right-of-way), a 0.5-acre cutoff for smaller projects, and a 12-unit cutoff to separate small from larger multifamily developments.
Staff also described required statutory notice rules for limited land uses and said the state’s rules limit the notice radius to 100 feet. City staff proposed removing the city's existing newspaper-notice requirement because Gladstone lacks a local paper and print publication is costly; staff discussed relying on the city's online presence, social media and newsletter to notify residents. "We had discussed previously removing our requirement for a newspaper notice because we don't have a local newspaper, and it's quite expensive for the city to put in printed newspaper notice," staff said at the hearing.
Commissioners asked whether design-review and subdivision reviews could be retained at the commission level; staff said legal counsel had advised the commission may continue to hear certain limited land-use decisions for now but that legislative changes could alter authority in the next cycle. Commissioners agreed the city should keep strong, numerical standards so staff acting at the administrative level can reach clear decisions.
No members of the public testified on the item. Commissioners Weiss and Brennan moved and seconded a recommendation that the council consider TXT-25-03 with the edit to remove a stray newspaper reference on page 4-33; the commission approved the recommendation by unanimous roll call and asked staff to follow up with the city attorney about whether on-site posting could be required for larger projects.
The commission's recommendation sends the package to the City Council for an Oct. 14 public hearing; the council will make any final code changes.
