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Commission presses applicants to show sections after debate over 15‑foot ceiling rule and double counting of floor area
Summary
Commissioners pressed the project team to provide clearer sections and mechanical details after staff explained that interior heights of 15 feet or more count as double floor area under city rules; the commission conditioned plans to show ceiling heights below the 15‑foot threshold at permitting.
Commissioners spent substantial time clarifying how the city's gross floor area definition treats high ceilings and attics, and required the applicants to revise drawings or document ceiling heights at the building permit stage.
Planning staff read the relevant code language and explained the threshold: any interior height of 15 feet or more is counted as double floor area under the city's definition, and an area must have a finished floor and finished ceiling with at least 6 feet of interior height to be counted as floor area. Commissioners repeatedly asked applicants to show sections demonstrating that the attic and high gable peaks would not be counted as additional floor area; the commission included a condition that interior heights not exceed 14 feet 11 inches to avoid triggering double counting (Code discussion: SEG 166–246; permit condition: SEG 2334–2346).
