Committee backs Bill 6 to increase apartment density and standardize lot frontage; DPP supports 60-foot minimum frontage

The committee considered Bill 6-20-26 (CD1), a DPP-recommended alternative to the council's earlier proposal, which would revise development standards in apartment and apartment mixed-use (AMX) districts. Key changes in the CD1 include a 5,000-square-foot minimum lot size for apartment/AMX districts, a standard 60-foot minimum lot dimension for street frontage, and increases in maximum residential floor-area-ratio (FAR) by district: 2.0 in A1/AMX1, 3.0 in A2/AMX2, and 4.0 in A3/AMX3. Commercial FAR allowances remain separate and are not part of the overall maximum FAR.

Wilford Motosue, a local small developer, testified he supports the bill but requested exemptions from the affordable-housing set-aside requirement for small projects (e.g., exemptions for projects under specified unit thresholds), arguing that mandatory set-asides could make small projects financially unviable. Jonathan Helton, a policy analyst at the Grassroot Institute, told the committee his organization supports the bill and recommended two amendments: raising FAR in A2 from 3 to 4, and reducing lot width requirements to 50 or 45 feet to enable more efficient infill. DPP staff said they do not support the narrow-lot recommendation, noting narrower frontages can hinder pedestrian-oriented frontage, street trees, bus stops and other infrastructure the department considers necessary to support the higher densities; DPP said the department supports the CD1 footprint including a 60-foot minimum frontage.

After discussion, the chair recommended and the committee reported Bill 6-20-26 (CD1) out for passage on third reading to the full council.