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Commission tables Business Management Area zoning changes after debate over buffers and display rules
Summary
Proposed changes to Business Management Area rules (outdoor display vs. outdoor storage, 25‑foot landscape buffer plus 10‑foot pedestrian buffer, screening and grandfathering) drew opposition and were tabled for further refinement and a joint workshop with the EDA.
Staff presented a package of proposed zoning amendments to the county’s Business Management Area (BMA) that would add separate definitions for "outdoor display" (goods actively offered for sale) and "outdoor storage" (goods kept on-site for future sale more than 24 hours), add screening and landscaping requirements, and allow some outdoor display by right within B‑1 and B‑2 districts.
As staff explained, "Outdoor display would refer to items actively being sold, where outdoor storage would refer to items delivered to a site for future use or sale," and the BMA standards would require a 25‑foot landscape buffer plus a 10‑foot pedestrian/road buffer in many cases. Commissioners raised a number of concerns: combined buffer measurements could make shallow commercial lots effectively unbuildable; the definition of frontage and which road triggers the buffer needed clarification; and enforcement capacity was questioned.
Because of these technical details and the number of issues raised on setbacks, buffering and grandfathering of existing outdoor storage, the commission voted to table the BMA amendments for 60 days and to pursue a joint workshop with the Economic Development Authority and staff to refine definitions and implementation steps.
