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Commission discusses encouraging smaller footprints and varied facades in city center
Summary
Commissioners and designers urged rewarding smaller building footprints, façade articulation and multiple street-facing entries through the points system to avoid monolithic blocks and encourage 'missing middle' building types.
Several commissioners and design professionals argued the proposed points system should reward smaller building footprints and façade variety rather than merely creating the illusion of separate buildings. Committee member said designers and a developer had suggested twelve-unit buildings as an appropriate footprint for some city-center lots and urged the system reward actual separate buildings or physical articulation rather than superficial facade breaks. "...he said he'd like to see 12 unit 12 units per building," one commissioner observed describing developer feedback.
Staff and commissioners discussed technical constraints—stair and egress rules for multi‑story buildings, energy-code glazing limits and trade-offs—and suggested the points system could include demonstrations or examples (menus) to avoid unintended outcomes. The commission asked staff to bring design examples and codified menu options to the next meeting so the commission can test whether the point options enable the smaller footprint outcomes they want.
