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Council advances code changes on electronic message centers, school standards in established neighborhoods
Summary
City planning staff presented amendments to the Unified Development Code to clarify definitions for electronic message centers and EV charging, expand where message centers may be allowed (with a downtown exception) and adjust school-size thresholds for the established neighborhood zone; council approved the ordinance on first reading and set a public hearing.
Planning staff described a package of zoning text changes in Ordinance 18-2026 aimed at clarifying definitions and use standards for electronic message centers (EMCs), EV charging and small schools in established neighborhoods. The proposal would allow EMCs on buildings and freestanding signs in a broader set of zones but would exclude a stretch of the downtown central business district (Denver Avenue to Edison Avenue). Staff also proposed tying EMC brightness limits to a distance/size formula to make enforcement measurable.
Staff said the current code treats schools the same across zones despite parcel-size realities in established neighborhoods; the draft ordinance would provide alternate thresholds appropriate for smaller parcels and small-footprint schools (citing Trinity Lutheran as an example). The ordinance also adds explicit definitions for EMCs and EV charging as accessory uses when less than half of a parking area is used for charging.
Council thanked staff and voted to approve Ordinance 18-2026 on first reading, setting a public hearing for Aug. 19, 2026. The ordinance will return for second reading and public comment where neighbors and businesses can submit feedback.
What’s next: public hearing and second reading scheduled for Aug. 19, 2026; staff will take public input and refine numeric thresholds and measurement approaches before final adoption.
