Minutes - Planning Commission - 08/25/2022

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Presentation City Planner McCann presented the Staff Report stating that staff has contemplated the removal of zoning permits for several years due to several issues and is seeking guidance from the Planning Commission about the potential elimination of zoning permits from the Zoning Code. Commission Business Commissioner VanScoy commented that he is a little conflicted on this and asked if the City has avoided a lot of issues by having its current process. Planning Manager Larson stated that in some cases it has opened more problems. He stated that the service just checks the plans, not the work completed. He noted that same service could be provided if a resident came to the counter to have the discussion with staff. He stated that in the current process there is no assurance that the project is completed right, and it takes a lot of time to review the plans. He stated that staff would prefer to better focus on the bigger development plans, rather than reviewing plans related to fencing. Commissioner VanScoy asked if service would still be provided to residents if they came in to discuss their plans. Planning Manager Larson confirmed that residents could still have discussions with staff and ask questions. He noted that staff could also add more information to the available handouts. Acting Chairperson Gengler asked for examples of the zoning permit projects. City Planner McCann reviewed examples such as fencing under seven feet, swimming pools of 5,000 gallons or less, accessory structures under 200 square feet, and driveways. He stated that recently staff was discussing that through the ordinance section of code, bee keeping is considered a zoning permit and therefore that could be a consideration as well. Commissioner Anderson asked if a resident wanted to build a shed over 200 square feet, they would apply for a permit and then build it. He asked if that would no longer be necessary, and the resident could just build it. City Planner McCann stated that a shed over 200 square feet would still require a permit. He noted that the proposed change would apply to a shed under 200 square feet and the resident could then get information from staff and could then proceed to build the shed. Planning Manager Larson noted that the resident would have the choice of whether or not to consult with staff. He stated that the difference would be that the resident would no longer have to develop a plan, submit that to staff for review, and provide approval. He noted that is a lot of unnecessary work and expense for residents and that permit fee does not cover the expense of City staff time either. Planning Commission/ August 25, 2022 Page 24 of 27