Rules Committee delays vote on zoning amendments

City Council’s Committee on Rules has postponed making a recommendation on dozens of amendments to the zoning code until its hearing Wednesday morning, June 13th.

The Committee could not come to an agreement with members of  the City Planning Commission on a number of proposed changes which the Commission had characterized as “technical.” Members of Council said they felt that some of the amendments were significant matters of policy that merit larger discussion.

Tuesday’s Committee meeting had four items on the agenda and an extensive witness list. In the interest of time and thorough review, Committee Chairman William Greenlee decided to continue the hearing another day. Council and the Commission say they will try to reach an agreement about which amendments to hold and which to move forward before Wednesday’s hearing, at 9 a.m.

At the center of the disagreement are amendments which would:

• enact a 50-foot stream buffer for development on waterways throughout the City
• remove the maximum amount of parking a developer can provide
• remove “preparation or production of food” as a use allowed by right for food, beverage, and grocery establishments
• adjust the applicability of the “Pending Ordinance Doctrine,” which requires L&I to treat bills reported favorably by Council Committees as law

FULL STORY TO FOLLOW

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