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Hospitality counsel urges adoption, warns of stricter building-code interpretations
Summary
Nathaniel Berg of JRI Hospitality told the commission that the city building-code interpretation had made event and lodging projects difficult and urged adoption of the draft that would create clearer categories for businesses to fit into without onerous retroactive requirements.
During public comment Nathaniel Berg, general counsel for JRI Hospitality, encouraged the commission to advance zoning language that provides a pathway for rural lodging and event operations while warning that existing city building-code interpretations could make ventures "almost impossible."
Berg said his company and potential operators view the draft as a positive step because it would allow them to fit into a regulatory "bucket" that aligns zoning and building review. He cautioned the commission to be confident about how the city building code is interpreted so that newly regulated properties are not inadvertently pushed into requirements—like sprinkler retrofits—that could make projects unworkable. "The problem we have is the city building code makes all of the events... almost impossible," Berg said, urging clarity so business proposals are not disadvantaged.
Staff acknowledged that some prior plan-review outcomes had been driven by the combination of lodging, dining and event uses and that the draft is meant to provide clarity; the commission asked staff to follow up with fire and state reviewers and return a refined draft.
