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Commissioners review draft mixed-use overlay for US 1; height limit questioned
Summary
Council reviewed a draft commercial mixed-use overlay for US 1 that would allow ground-floor retail with residences above; members discussed raising the 35-foot limit to 40–45 feet and flagged existing ordinance language that could limit feasible vertical development.
A commissioner presented a draft commercial mixed-use overlay for US 1 that would permit stores on the ground floor and residences above. The draft, still preliminary, proposes adapting height and floor-area standards to allow viable mixed-use development while preserving neighborhood scale.
Members questioned whether the current 35-foot height cap should be increased to 40–45 feet for mixed-use parcels. One Commissioner noted an ordinance requirement forcing storage off a finished ceiling that reduces allowable floor-to-floor heights and constrains residential units above commercial spaces. "If we change that height limit," a member said, "we don't suddenly get seven-story buildings — but it gives flexibility for a one- or two-story retail base with residential on top."
Commissioners asked staff to circulate the draft overlay to architecture and development stakeholders and to bring a version with explicit height, setback, and design standards back to the PLDRC for detailed review. No formal amendments were adopted at the meeting.
