Council debates code rewrite approach; staff to prioritize major changes and public clarity

Planner Cherylyn Egner told the Council that the staff-led effort to reformat the City Code exposed inconsistencies—such as varying minimum footprints, missing lot-width standards in some commercial zones and ambiguous use-table entries—and that a purely formatting update had proven impractical. She said staff had drafted proposed revisions to correct inconsistencies but paused to seek Council direction on whether to preserve existing policy or allow staff discretion to modernize standards.

Council Members debated options. Council Member Clark Taylor suggested developing a clean, updated code as a new baseline rather than laboriously reconciling every legacy provision; Council Member Staci Carroll and others emphasized clear public-facing comparisons so residents understand what changes would affect future development versus existing properties. Staff and Council discussed potential technical updates such as widening side-yard setbacks to better accommodate ADU parking and vehicles, and shifting some commercial minimum setbacks to maximums to encourage buildings closer to streets. Egner said staff had been about "80% complete but paused after the last Council meeting to reconsider the approach and align with updated direction." Council asked staff to prepare highlighted comparison materials for substantive changes, continue public outreach, and consider separating the general plan adoption from the code rewrite to reduce confusion.

What happens next: staff will prepare focused comparison materials highlighting substantive edits, proceed with public outreach materials, and return with a recommended approach for Council review before scheduling public noticing or the May 21 open house.