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Draft zoning changes would modernize signs, ADUs, solar and parking; commissioners debate work-live and TDR removal
Summary
The draft Regulations add a consolidated Use Table, expand definitions for ADUs, include solar and DarkSky lighting standards, adjust parking requirements and propose a detached sign allowance up to 48 square feet for very large developments; commissioners questioned the scale of detached signs, whether major home occupations belong in residential zones, and whether Transfer of Development Rights language should be removed.
Commissioners and members of the public discussed several technical, but potentially impactful, changes in the draft Zoning Regulations. The draft creates a consolidated Section 4 Use Table, adds rules for solar installations and outdoor lighting consistent with DarkSky program standards, clarifies ADU rules to permit attached and detached ADUs as-of-right under certain conditions, and adjusts parking standards. Section 5 proposes a detached sign allowance up to 48 square feet for properties with 100,000 square feet of building development; Commissioner Joseph Gentile argued that 48 square feet is too large and suggested that 32 square feet may be sufficient for large multi-tenant sites.
The draft also recommends removing Transfer of Development Rights provisions that have never been used; staff said there are now other options to achieve higher density. Chair Levin and other commissioners discussed revisiting minimum parking requirements and the 'work/live' connection requirement. Mr. Gentile urged that major home occupations be limited and that minor home occupations (a single self-employed person at home) remain allowable.
