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Commission directs staff to relax restrictive lot-width standard for SB 9 splits
Summary
Staff flagged an 'average lot width' requirement as impractical and the commission directed staff to remove or reword that standard and propose alternatives that preserve intent without precluding lawful splits.
Staff told the commission the existing average-lot-width standard for urban lot splits could prevent common, irregular lot geometries from qualifying for SB 9 splits and effectively preclude state-law-allowed subdivisions. The commissioner who raised the issue said the formula'based requirement is too restrictive for nonrectangular or irregular lots.
"It's too restrictive," one commissioner said, and several commissioners agreed removal or replacement was preferable. Senior Planner Wolf proposed alternative approaches such as requiring a lot line perpendicular to one of the side lot lines or another geometric standard tied to typical front/back splits; commissioners directed staff to draft revised language that preserves the intent of front-and-back lot splits without imposing an impractical average-width test.
Staff will return with revised wording or a tolerance-based alternative (for example, a percentage buffer) that achieves the commission's intent while allowing lawful SB 9 splits.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 846 ("And that concludes staff's presentation, chair.") ; topicfinish SEG 1931 (commission guidance to remove the standard).
