Commissioners press staff for concrete definitions as code would split manufacturing into low/medium/high impact

As part of the municipal‑code update, staff proposed distinguishing manufacturing uses by impact level and applying different location rules. Justin Horn said the proposal would allow lower‑impact uses—examples cited include art studios and breweries—in mixed‑use zones while reserving higher‑impact activities for the business park (BP) or banning them without council approval.

Several commissioners urged more concrete, measurable definitions for the low/moderate/high impact categories. One commissioner asked: “Can I make a suggestion on the lower impact, moderate impact, high impact that you worked on a little bit more concrete definitions? They seem very subjective to interpretation.” Commissioners suggested tying impact classifications to objective metrics such as noise limits, emissions standards or permit thresholds and suggested attaching specific use standards to moderate and high‑impact categories.

Staff said they could require applicants for moderate or higher‑impact uses to submit mitigation plans showing how they will manage noise, air and water impacts. They also proposed restricting ground‑floor self‑storage in the BP zone to avoid overconcentration and agreed to consider adjacency limits (e.g., distance from residential uses) for some high‑impact uses such as pawn shops and nightclubs.