Commission discusses tiered home-occupation rules and a 'top-tier' approach for mixed commercial spaces

Commissioners and staff discussed how to regulate the wide range of home-based enterprises and the city’s growing mix of creative, multi-use commercial spaces. Staff proposed creating tiers for home occupations (low-intensity vs. higher-intensity operations) and noted the difficulty when an operation’s scope causes a building-occupancy change that triggers more stringent fire and building standards.

Corey Shurtleff described a potential "top-tier" approach for mixed commercial spaces: if a unit intends to support the most intensive of its possible uses (for example, an eating establishment plus retail), it would be required up-front to meet the highest building and land-use mitigation standards (parking, fire suppression, restrooms) for that use category. That approach would allow flexibility for entrepreneurs while making safety and mitigation requirements clear. "We're saying you're going straight to 7 parking spaces... You go to the tippy top if you wanna have this creative category," Shurtleff said. Commissioners asked staff to refine tier definitions and examples for review at the next workshop.