Land Use Committee

• Date: April 02, 2026
• Governing Body: Land Use Committee
• Meeting Type: Regular Meeting
• Chair: Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen
• Attendees:
  • Councilor Lance Davis
  • Councilor Jesse Clingan
  • Councilor Naima Sait
  • Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen
  • Director Bartman (Planning, Preservation, and Zoning)
  • Deputy Director DeMartino (Planning, Preservation, and Zoning)
• Absent: Councilor Matt McLaughlin

The committee discussed a proposed amendment "requesting ordainment of an amendment to section 202. 8.1 of the zoning ordinance to provide for larger buildings, additional dimensional flexibility, and fewer use restrictions for affordable housing projects."

Key Dimensional and Massing Changes:

• Building Height: The maximum height is proposed to increase from seven to eight stories.
• Lot Coverage: Permitted lot coverage is increased to 100%, drawing from the MR6 district standards.
• Open Space: Requirements for open space are decreased, though the 'green score' requirements from MR3 and MR4 districts are maintained to ensure quality.
• Regulatory Relief: The amendment proposes to stop regulating building width, facade build-out, total floor plate size, and individual story heights for affordable projects.
• Step-backs: Upper-story step-backs are eliminated to maximize unit and bedroom counts. Director Bartman noted: "From our interviews with affordable housing developers, really what that was costing the city was additional units or additional bedrooms... we felt that those units or bedrooms are more valuable."

The committee debated the standardization of parking setbacks to 30 feet from the front lot line.

• Councilor Inquiry: Councilor Lance Davis questioned why affordable housing would face a 30-foot setback in MR3 and MR4 districts when market-rate buildings in those zones only require 10-foot (surface) or 2-foot (structured) setbacks.
• Staff Rationale: Director Bartman explained that affordable housing developers typically require larger floor plates (approximately 5,000 square feet) to achieve a return on investment, making them unlikely to build on small, inefficient MR3 parcels. The 30-foot setback ensures habitable space remains at the front of the building.
• Committee Concern: Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen expressed opposition to the parking setbacks, stating: "I don't want us to accidentally get in a situation... where through good intention we're accidentally doing the opposite of what we meant to do."

The amendment proposes significant changes to ground-floor use requirements for affordable housing developments.

• Commercial Units: Instead of specific square footage or frontage requirements, the amendment requires a minimum of one commercial space of any size.
• Arts and Creative Space: The requirement to set aside 5% of commercial space for arts and creative enterprise is removed.
• In-Lieu Payments: Staff is developing a mechanism for in-lieu payments to a public fund for the arts. Director Bartman explained the delay: "An in-lieu payment is one of the most complex things to build into the zoning ordinance... We're actually attempting to avoid putting ourselves in a situation where we end up in the home rule world."

The committee took the following official actions:

1. Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to approve the minutes of the Land Use Committee meeting held on December 4, 2025.

   • Vote Outcome: Approved 4-0 (Councilor Matt McLaughlin absent).
   • Roll Call Vote:
     • Councilor Davis: Yes
     • Councilor Clingan: Yes
     • Councilor Sait: Yes
     • Councilor Ewen-Campen: Yes

2. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following the vote on the minutes.