Commission endorses code changes to allow landscape removal for wildfire protection in WUI

Beth Fuchs, a city planner, explained that the ordinance package contains two parts: a state‑directed amendment that prevents local rules from prohibiting vegetation removal for wildfire protection, and a city‑directed set of procedural changes to flag WUI lots and allow case‑by‑case review and notifications to council and applicants.

"Those are areas where development is adjacent to wild lands that are undeveloped, and they have a higher wildfire risk because of the their location," Fuchs said, describing why the Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) standards exist. Staff recommended adding notations to final plats and checking development applications for WUI status.

Commissioners asked technical clarifications about who maintains the WUI map (staff confirmed the city manages it and can update it) and whether a lot partially in the WUI should be captured (commissioners suggested clarifying language). After brief discussion and a public hearing with no comments, the commission voted unanimously (4‑0) to forward a positive recommendation to city council.