Planning staff proposes R1B single-family zoning district to allow smaller lots

Alex Van Dyke, BasehorCity assistant director of planning, opened the work session by proposing a new zoning category called R1B to create a middle ground between the citys existing R1 and R2 single-family residential districts. "We're bringing forward the idea of creating a separate zoning district titled R 1 B," Van Dyke said, describing 25-foot front setbacks, 7-foot side yard setbacks and a minimum lot width in the mid-50-foot range as the draft parameters.

Van Dyke and planning director Jim Sherman said the new district is intended for single-family-only development and to provide a predictable, lower-cost option for builders who want smaller-lot single-family homes without invoking R2 provisions that also permit duplexes. "This would provide a middle ground for developers to take advantage of," Van Dyke said. Sherman added staff expects to follow the zoning text with design standards for frontages, landscaping and garage placement to protect neighborhood character.

Commissioners spent much of the session asking staff to show precedents and outcomes from the tour of nearby developments; Van Dyke said the dense prototypes inside the metro typically fall in the low 3 units-per-acre range, while some suburban projects outside the city reached higher densities. "There's a precedent for that," he said, noting communities around the metro have adopted similar smaller-lot single-family categories.

Several commissioners asked that architectural and landscape standards accompany any rezoning so smaller lots still yield quality streetscapes. Sherman called stronger frontage and tree standards part of the package and said the office will bring additional standards for review. Staff requested a general consensus to draft a formal text amendment; multiple commissioners voiced support during the session but no formal vote was taken at the work session.