Council staff says Community Kitchen will seek planning commission exception Sept. 1

City planning staff told the Aug. 12 meeting that the La Pine Community Kitchen has applied for site-plan review and an exceptions request that will be heard by the planning commission on Sept. 1.

Mr. Tierney said the exception is necessary because older code required 40% of floor area on mixed-use lots be residential; the kitchen asks to occupy 100% of the floor area as a community kitchen. "Basically, old code prior to what was passed with our last text amendment update required that industrial services in the commercial and residential mixed use standards provide for 40% residential uses on the same lot. And so the kitchen has applied for an exception to that rule to allow them to have 100% of the floor area be dedicated to the community kitchen use," Mr. Tierney said.

Staff framed the upcoming hearing as focused on the exception request; the planning commission will evaluate whether the proposal meets local code and the criteria for exceptions. The council did not take action on the item at the meeting; the public hearing before the planning commission is scheduled for Sept. 1.