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Developer-backed zoning amendment would allow first-floor residential in MU districts above 35,000 sq ft; commissioners raise design and definition questions
Summary
Greenberg Gibbons presented a zoning text amendment to allow residential uses on the first floor in Mixed-Use (MU) districts for projects with at least 35,000 sq ft gross floor area; commissioners and members of the public questioned definitions, design guidelines, applicability to existing multifamily projects such as Brickworks, and whether the change is better addressed via form-based code or project-specific variance.
Jay Diamond of Greenberg Gibbons returned for a second workshop presentation on a proposed text amendment to the Land Management Code that would permit residential uses on the first floor in MU districts for applications with a minimum gross floor area of 35,000 square feet. Diamond framed the change as an update to Table 8-38-1 to allow residential to be listed among permitted 1st-floor uses in MU districts and said the amendment is intended to promote more integrated mixed-use outcomes and enhance street activation.
Staff and commissioners asked for clearer definitions and implementation mechanics. Chair and commissioners noted the code currently does not define a "mixed-use vertical building," and sought clarity on when a multifamily project would be categorized as mixed-use (and therefore eligible). Commissioner Manelis asked how first-floor residential would affect parking, APFO calculations and design standards; staff responded that any application using the amendment would still be subject to the full LMC review process (APFO, design standards in Section 6-04, and MU procedures) and that parking and APFO would be evaluated at the project stage. On the question of design guidance, Commissioner Buono and Chair asked whether the code should include additional streetscape/first-floor design requirements so that ground-floor residential does not undermine the objective of an active pedestrian streetscape.
Public commenters raised concerns that the amendment would effectively rewrite broader LMC provisions to accommodate very large buildings and could be used to retrofit projects like Brickworks without appropriate design safeguards. Heather Goddard told the commission that an oversized building can impede neighborhood connectivity and suggested project-specific appeals or using the zoning board where appropriate. Applicants and some commissioners said the amendment is intended mainly to apply to future MU projects and that the city's emerging form-based code work overlaps the same goals, but timelines for that code are uncertain. The commission asked staff to clarify definitions and consider adding cross-references or design guidance before forwarding any recommendation to City Council.
