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Council approves townhome-parking rule change, preserves current height limit
Summary
Council approved Ordinance 801 to allow front-access parking for townhomes where rear alleys are impractical; staff corrected an administrative discrepancy so the code will retain a 2-story, 35-foot maximum and removed an inapplicable bicycle-parking requirement.
City staff (Ed) told the council the townhome-district amendment is intended to ease development constraints where rear alleys and 20-foot maneuvering areas make small townhome projects inefficient. "So the intent of this ordinance here is to allow for parking, on the front, right, in the garage or even possibly in some cases on street parking when that street parking does not interfere with the travel lanes," Ed said.
Ed also alerted the council to an administrative oversight: a prior ordinance (7 46, adopted in 2023) had already set maximum building heights at two stories and 35 feet, so staff recommended preserving that existing 2-story/35-foot limit rather than the draft's 3/38 figures. He noted a bicycle-parking requirement appeared to have been carried over from another jurisdiction and recommended striking it.
Council members asked whether a developer had prompted the change; staff said one developer indicated rear parking requirements could jeopardize a townhome project but declined to discuss applicants by name. Council Member Jeff moved to approve Ordinance 801 with the corrected height/table values (2 stories, 35 feet); the motion was seconded and passed 4-1-0.
