Council adopts five‑ordinance omnibus land‑use package including tree‑code refinements

Nick Whipple, Code and Policy Director, presented the 2026 omnibus land‑use code amendments organized into five ordinances covering cleanup, state‑law compliance, process streamlining, and small policy adjustments.

Staff described three categories of changes: cleanup and scrivener fixes; compliance with recent state legislation (items ranging from allowable cladding to childcare allowances and subdivision rules); and small policy refinements such as a recategorization of the SR‑1 district to better align tree‑credit requirements with similarly sized suburban residential districts. Whipple said the SR‑1 change responds to implementation experience where some sites could not reasonably meet prior requirements without impractical planting patterns. The package also consolidated binding site plan rules, added a fee‑in‑lieu option for East Main residential development, and adjusted utility connection rules for middle‑housing projects.

Council members thanked staff and asked about the East Main fee‑in‑lieu rationale and the tradeoffs between on‑site affordable housing performance and fees. Whipple said stakeholders asked for a residential fee‑in‑lieu option given current market feasibility challenges and that staff will revisit East Main as HB1491 implementation proceeds.

Deputy Mayor Hamilton moved to adopt each ordinance in turn (6930, 6931, 6932, 6933, 6934); each motion received a second and all five ordinances were adopted by council vote.