The City of Lowell Planning Commission met on Monday, Feb. 10, for about an hour to discuss an update to the city’s Master Plan and proposed zoning amendments related to housing. All commissioners were present.
Master Plan Update
The first piece of business on the agenda was a review of the Master Plan.
Andy Moore, a planning consultant to the city from the firm Williams & Works, said he had incorporated changes to the plan’s goals and objectives which were requested by commissioners and the public at the last meeting. He noted the next step would be for commissioners to recommend Lowell City Council distribute the draft plan to other local municipalities for their review. The commission would still be free to make changes in the future.
At the January meeting, Commissioner Marty Chambers said he felt the plan needed a significant amount of work related to housing and the downtown area. However, that was not discussed during the recent meeting.
Planning commissioners voted unanimously to recommend that a draft of the Master Plan be distributed.
Zoning Amendments for Housing
While housing wasn’t discussed during the Master Plan portion of the meeting, it was the main focus of the second item of business on the agenda.
Moore noted that during an earlier meeting, planning commissioners had identified several zoning changes they were interested in pursuing to encourage more affordable housing in the city. During last week’s meeting, Moore presented four of those:
- Permitting accessory dwelling units
- Allowing increased density for PUDs
- Allowing additional flexibility for nonconformities
- Increasing maximum lot coverage limits in certain districts
Of these, Moore provided draft ordinance language for increasing density for PUDs and allowing flexibility for non-conforming properties. He thought these two would be the most straightforward to approve.
As presented, the amendment for nonconformance would allow properties to be extended, enlarged, altered, remodeled or modernized “provided the enlargement does not increase the degree of the nonconformance.” Nonconforming properties destroyed by a fire, wind or act of God may be rebuilt in the original nonconforming condition, but those that are voluntarily destroyed or demolished may be required to conform to the current zoning ordinance if the cost of restoration exceeds 80% of the property’s previous true cash value.
“Basically, we’re trying to take a more lenient approach to nonconformities,” Moore said. Doing so would reduce the cost burden for homeowners and hopefully encourage people to make improvements to their properties, he added.
As for density in PUDs, the proposed change would allow the planning commission to decide what is the right density level for developments located in non-residential, mixed use and multiple-family residential (R-3) districts. Currently, PUDs located in any residential district must adhere to the density standards of the district. With this change, the planning commission could exceed the 10 units per acre maximum that is currently in place for multi-family districts.
A PUD is a planned unit development and often pursued by developers who want more flexibility than what is afforded in other zoning districts. RiverView Flats and Highland Hills are examples of two PUDs in the City of Lowell.
“Historically, PUDs have been used mostly in townships to build cluster developments or to build larger mixed-use projects,” Moore said. “But to me, the tool it’s more than just clustering…it’s about the city granting flexibility if it gets a better project.”
Commissioner Colin Plank questioned whether the 80% figure included in the nonconforming property ordinance would encourage people to cut corners and build with lower quality materials. There was some discussion about this matter, and Moore said he would confer with the building inspector for his thoughts.
A public hearing on the amendments will be held next month, pending the building inspector’s feedback.
No Council Updates for Commissioners
During their final comments of the night, Chair Tony Ellis asked Chambers about the possibility of commissioners receiving a monthly update on council activities. Ellis had made this request last month and Chambers – who is the council representative on the commission – said he would need to get a legal opinion first.
“Basically…the legal opinion was if you want to know these things, watch YouTube, read the papers or attend in person,” Chambers replied. “That was the legal advice.”
The next regular meeting of the City of Lowell Planning Commission is Monday, March 10, at 7pm in Lowell City Hall.
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