Council liaison reports history center delay; staff outlines proposed rules for 'neighborhood storage lockers'

At the July 22 meeting, the council liaison updated HARC that the history center exhibit deliveries are delayed and an opening planned for August is likely to be postponed into September, possibly later in the month. The liaison said exhibit delivery timing discussed in a council work session indicated the week of August 3 was no longer guaranteed and an opening will probably be pushed deeper into September.

The liaison and planning staff also described a separate planning discussion about a proposal for neighborhood storage lockers on 5th Street. Planning staff said the applicant had requested a code interpretation to classify a small, fully enclosed locker facility as a commercial service use rather than an industrial use. The planning commission recommended standards that would place such lockers behind or secondary to a principal commercial use, require full enclosure with no exterior garage doors, and otherwise constrain their frontage impact on commercial corridors.

Liaison remarks signaled continuing discussion between council and planning staff and indicated the topic will return in future meetings.