Planners OK adding covered porches as permitted residential encroachments, table commercial facade changes

Mount Pleasant planning commissioners and staff on April 9 discussed proposed text edits to clarify the definition of "facade" and how permanent covered structures — porches, canopies, covered patios and decks — should be treated in setback and frontage calculations. After a sustained work‑session discussion, commissioners instructed staff to add covered porches to the residential list of permitted encroachments and table wider commercial/downtown changes for separate review.

Staff explained the existing ordinance treats the building wall as the controlling "facade" for setbacks, which can make canopies and covered porches count as encroachments unless the encroachment list explicitly permits them. The staff member said the draft text would either (a) change the facade definition to include permanent covered structures or (b) simply add covered structures to the permitted encroachment list; commissioners favored a cautious, staged approach.

"Permanent covered structures could be included in the process of establishing the location of a facade," the staff member said while presenting the draft language, adding that the aim is to allow design flexibility while keeping active uses near sidewalks to support walkability.

Commissioners raised repeated cautions about potential abuse of permissive wording — for example, very large covered structures or creative placements that satisfy the letter of the code but undermine the streetscape. Several asked whether the code should specify minimum activity or size thresholds; staff said the current draft emphasizes intent (spaces "large enough to accommodate outdoor furniture and/or gathering") but can be made more prescriptive if the commission prefers.

Downtown and Mission Street presented special challenges: downtown zero‑setback rules and corner‑lot frontage build‑out requirements mean some of the proposed flexibilities would not produce the intended street‑facing activity without additional adjustments to CD 5/CD 6 standards. Staff suggested a joint session with the Downtown Development Authority to work through CD 6 (the proposed Mission Street designation) and other Mission‑specific design solutions.

At the session's close commissioners agreed to two practical steps: staff will amend the residential encroachment list to explicitly allow covered porches as permitted encroachments, and the commission will delay broader commercial and downtown facade changes for a focused review of City 6 and possible joint work with the DDA.

Why it matters: the decision aims to reduce ambiguity that has required variances for some front‑facing covered elements while preserving discretion to prevent designs that would harm pedestrian experience or create traffic/visibility problems on Mission Street.

Next steps: staff will prepare the residential text change language for future consideration and schedule separate discussions about downtown/CD 6 changes with interested stakeholders.