City OKs residential zoning rules

SANDPOINT — In a final hurrah for the current body of elected officials, the City Council passed new residential zoning guidelines Thursday night.

Council members picked up the new zoning plan and an accompanying impact fee revision as their final major project before new elected officials claimed their seats. After a final few hours of last-minute tweaking, council members codified the new residential zoning specifications, a plan originally drafted over several months by the Planning Commission.

The biggest changes occur within the areas formerly designated as Residential A, B and C.

Residential A will convert into Residential Single-Family, or RS. The revised zone will provide updated guidelines for neighborhoods of traditional family homes and typical accompanying structures like garages and sheds.

 “(The use regulations) allow for some non-household living uses but not to such an extent as to sacrifice the overall image and character of the single-dwelling neighborhood,” the guidelines read.

Residential B and C, meanwhile, will become Residential Multi-Family, or RM. These zones loosen regulation to allow for diverse types of housing like apartments, duplexes or cottages. At the same time, the zone acts as a buffer between single-family dwellings and more dedicated commercial activity. However, RM zone guidelines still seek to integrate different types of housing into the broader area.

One last public comment period before the discussion helped council members focus their final line of changes. Planning Commission member Shelby Rognstad suggested that the council allow more flexibility in respect to multi-use permits, building height and the maximum allowable construction footprint on a property. Otherwise, he was happy with the document.

“Overall, I feel the changes have revised the ordinance into a more fluid document,” Rognstad said.

The council reexamined his suggestions, along with several others, and ultimately made revisions on each.

Maximum allowable building height was one of the biggest changes the council addressed. Rognstad was concerned that the 30 foot height limit in RS zones could result in a proliferation of unappealing roof styles.

“I worry this will encourage developers to build flat roof houses, as that would be the only way to get more than two stories,” he said.

After discussion, council members changed height limits to 35 feet in RS zones and 40 feet in RM zones.

“I’d rather err in providing builders with too much height rather than too little,” Councilman Stephen Snedden said.

Similarly, council members bumped the maximum allowable building footprint up to 40 percent of the lot size.

They also addressed the expansion of allowable multi-use considerations in the RM zone. Specifically, council members were concerned with residential homes that run an eatery inside the premises.

“(In past discussions), I remember thinking that yeah, it would be nice to have an eatery over by the high school because there’s nothing over there,” Councilwoman Jamie Brunner said.

The council decided to allow eateries in RM zones after home owners acquired a conditional use permit from the city. Would-be chefs will simply need to observe restrictions in hours of operation and other specifications that help keep the business pleasant for the neighborhood.

“We’d look for uses that aren’t going to disturb neighbors or people taking a nap — things to that effect,” City Planner Jeremy Grimm said.

The zoning documents received some other key modifications too, including lightened restrictions on garages and the removal of an 18 foot limit for streetscape garage doors. Porches can now extend up to 10 feet of the property line setback. Finally, in RM zones, daycare businesses overseeing more than 13 children are now acceptable on a conditional basis.

The new residential zoning plans, now approved and codified, will go into effect on Feb. 1.

“This has been a long process,” Mayor Gretchen Hellar said.