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Council debates setback, parking and infill-lot standards tied to ADU and redevelopment goals
Summary
Staff proposed revised side-yard and combined setback options (including retaining existing 8-foot/20-foot or alternatives such as a 7-foot/12-foot split) to balance on-site parking needs, ADU access and fire-code requirements; Council asked for visual examples and clearer measurement language.
A substantial portion of the June 16 work session focused on setback measurement, parking impacts and infill-lot standards intended to support redevelopment of older neighborhoods and downtown.
Staff described proposed side-yard approaches ranging from keeping the current 8-foot/20-foot standard to alternatives such as a 7-foot/12-foot configuration or requiring a single 12-foot side yard for vehicle access. Mr. O’Brien told Council narrow side yards often prevent practical vehicle parking and can push vehicles into public rights-of-way; he noted that roof overhangs, window wells and footings affect usable clearance and recommended clarifying whether setbacks are measured from the outer projection or the wall.
Council discussed trade-offs between preserving front-yard landscaping and accommodating side-yard parking for trailers and recreational vehicles, particularly on narrow cul-de-sac lots. Staff said limiting projects to a single parking-reduction method (time-of-day/shared parking OR counting on-street parking—but not both) helps avoid one project claiming disproportionate parking capacity. Mr. O’Brien suggested producing SketchUp visualizations to show how the standards would work in practice; Council asked staff to prepare clearer measurement standards and example illustrations.
No changes were adopted at the session; staff will return with revised measurement language, SketchUp examples and recommendations for the Council’s consideration.
