Commission recommends updates to Chapter 5 zoning tables to council, citing narrow R-2 lots and safety

The commission spent the bulk of the meeting reviewing proposed edits to Chapter 5 of the municipal code, focusing first on Table 4 (lot features and dimensions) and then on Table 2 (permitted, conditional and not-permitted land uses).

Chair pro tem Shane Moreno and planning staff walked commissioners through proposed changes aimed at accommodating the town’s newly created R-2 lot category and clarifying how to measure accessory-building projecting points and setbacks. Lorraine Bailey reviewed percentages and floor‑area limits proposed for R‑1 lots, and commissioners agreed to add cross-references that would send applicants to Ordinance 5‑8‑2023 when the no-discharge rule is not met.

Commissioners repeatedly recommended moving a number of uses from permitted to conditional — for example, two-family or multifamily dwellings, short‑term rentals, lodging, and certain commercial uses — in R‑2 and commercial zones to ensure parking, fire-code compliance and setbacks can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. "I think they just need to be conditional," one commissioner said while discussing duplexes and multi-family uses on narrow lots.

After extensive line-by-line review, Lorraine Bailey moved that the commission recommend the proposed updates to Chapter 5 (Table 4 and Table 2) to the town council, contingent on follow-up with county staff and, where necessary, the town attorney for wording and rights-of-way clarifications. The motion was seconded and adopted with no recorded dissent. The commission indicated staff will check with county authorities about conditional uses, the meaning of certain use categories, and whether additional ordinance language is required before council consideration. The meeting adjourned at about 10:37 a.m.