Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves tweak to form‑based code to accommodate Rockworth design
Summary
Council approved an ordinance that corrects bicycle-parking language and allows a narrowly defined exception to front‑facing unit entrances for secured, structured-parking residential buildings, following staff and developer explanations and a unanimous 5–0 vote.
At a public hearing, planning staff and the developer for Rockworth’s Block 1 project described proposed clarifications and limited exceptions to Murray’s City Center form‑based code. The ordinance corrected a bicycle-parking standard (a clerical error) and provided a targeted exception allowing ground‑floor residential units to be accessed from secured interior corridors when strict criteria preserve an active streetscape.
Chad Wilkinson summarized the changes and said the bicycle-parking requirement as adopted included a typo; the code should read 0.05 spaces per bedroom (minimum four), not 0.5. He also explained the criteria for the entrance exception—units must connect to a structured parking facility, maintain pedestrian activation through windows and plazas, and meet architectural standards.
Sarah Namalka, representing Rockworth, told council security and grade changes on the site made individual street‑facing doors impractical. “We never actually intended for these doors to access this street,” she said, describing fenced patios, grade change and secured access points. After council questions and no public comment, a motion to approve the ordinance passed 5–0.
Council members said staff had narrowed the exception’s language and left townhome-type developments out of the exception so they would continue to require active front entrances.
