Bluff planning commission advances zoning-code rewrite, schedules legal briefing

The Bluff Planning & Zoning Commission met Oct. 1 and approved minutes from Sept. 3, Sept. 8 (as amended) and Sept. 17 before turning to substantive zoning-code revisions that will return to the commission in October.

Commissioners spent substantial time reviewing riparian-corridor guidance and debating whether to allow short-term RV parking and how to treat tiny houses on wheels. A staff member summarized research into state versus federal authority, saying, "Apparently, there are no federal guidelines for riparian areas," and commissioners favored a simple A/B/C buffer model tied to annual high-water lines. The commission agreed to place a question about "conditional zones" and related appeal procedures on the list for legal counsel.

Chair Malia Collins also placed on the public record a subdivision application from Galen Hedley for East Side property; the application was incomplete and the statutory review period will begin only after the town receives a complete filing. Commissioners scheduled a work session and invited legal counsel to attend part of the Oct. 21 meeting to clarify conditional-use rules and other code questions.

The commission did not adopt new code language at the meeting; it made several drafting decisions and homework assignments for staff and commissioners, and set public-notice and outreach plans for the upcoming public hearing on the code rewrite.