Commission debates banning wood roof shingles, adds cement-board siding option

Commissioners spent substantial time weighing whether to ban wood roof shingles and how to treat wood siding under the town's WUI-adjacent zoning.

Eugenia Ekam said the town's building official "recommended that wood shingles are particularly problematic in terms of wildfire and it might be best to just get rid to prohibit them in this instance." Staff proposed draft amendments prohibiting wood shingles and adding cement board siding to the list of approved materials while continuing to allow heavy timber structural elements.

Several commissioners favored removing wood shingles outright to reduce ember ignition risk; wood siding prompted more debate. Some commissioners noted wood siding can be used as an architectural accent and cited examples of reclaimed wood on local homes, asking whether ignition-resistance ratings might be a more flexible approach than a complete ban. Staff responded that building-code plan review would still assess ignition resistance and that a combination of code and building-inspector review could manage site-specific risks.

Commissioners asked staff to return with language that balances wildfire safety and design flexibility, including how trim and ornamental structural elements should be treated.