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Council weighs code rewrite details, setbacks and permitted‑use chart
Summary
Staff said the rewrite simplifies the development code and removes obsolete references; council members pushed to avoid unintended consequences from changes such as increased side setbacks and broad permitted‑use lists, asking staff to keep policy debates for focused sessions.
City planning staff presented a reorganization of the development code intended to simplify standards, consolidate scattered requirements, and remove obsolete references dating back decades. "Does it make the standards easier to access and understand?" Mayor Bradley J. Frost asked, framing the rewrite as an accessibility and clarity exercise. Planner Cherylyn Egner said the reformatting has largely succeeded but noted some sections require further realignment and that definitions for terms such as "mixed‑use," warehouses, and offices need to be clarified.
Council members raised specific concerns about proposed changes, including an example to increase side setbacks from 8 to 10 feet in the R1‑20,000 zone and the existence of numerous exceptions that can reduce setbacks in practice. Council Member Clark Taylor and others warned that larger setbacks on small lots could shrink buildable areas and that layered exceptions have produced unintended consequences. Staff proposed producing a simplified permitted‑use chart (grouped categories with subcategories) and flagged flagship items for separate, focused work sessions rather than resolving every policy detail in the rewrite.
