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Council sends tower-height and single-family massing queries to Planning & Zoning for study
Summary
After extensive discussion about tower "proportionality," blank walls and second-floor massing, council directed staff to prepare clarifying language and sent tower-height questions and site-plan scope proposals to Planning & Zoning for review and recommendation.
Council members spent significant time debating how the town's zoning code treats towers and the massing of new single-family dwellings. The code currently lacks a simple numeric cap on many tower features, instead using a proportionality rule that measures tower eave height relative to the principal structure (commonly expressed as 1.5x the main eave height). Council members said that interpretation can produce towers that appear out of scale with neighboring properties.
Planning staff explained how the existing proportional formula is measured and provided example drawings. Several council members asked staff to produce clearer standards or numeric thresholds, particularly for RH and RM multi-family zoning where the proportional method can be ambiguous for larger buildings. The council directed staff to bring recommendations and examples to the Planning & Zoning Board for consideration, and to prepare a draft checklist or tailored site-plan/appearance review criteria for single-family and two-family projects.
Council members emphasized that any code change would need PNZ and public review. Staff said the work is feasible but time-consuming and will be scheduled among other planning priorities.
No formal ordinance change was adopted at the meeting; the item will next go through PNZ for technical consideration and public hearings.
