Commission debates 6,000/4,000 ft² building envelopes, clearing limits and ADU access

Planner Chris Shahid proposed standards that would require building and clearing to occur only within designated building envelopes in mapped forest blocks — proposed sizes were 6,000 ft² for primary buildings and 4,000 ft² for accessory buildings. Shahid said envelopes must be shown on recorded plans and that clearing outside envelopes (including exterior lighting) would be restricted. "building and clearing can only take place within that designated building envelope," he said.

Commissioners asked whether accessory units must share driveways and whether multiple primary buildings on a single lot could each have separate envelopes; staff said multiple building envelopes per lot would be allowed in some contexts (for PUDs or multiple primary structures) and that driveways, utility corridors and septic needs would be treated as exceptions but would still be considered in clearing totals. Members debated whether noncontiguous envelopes increase habitat fragmentation or whether clustering and siting near existing development would minimize impacts; several asked for clearer illustrations and explicit limits on contiguous cleared area between envelopes. Shahid agreed to seek developer feedback about the feasibility of the 6,000/4,000 figures and to refine language and illustrations.