Ordinance Review Committee

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The planning director asked for feedback on conservation and agricultural subdivisions, density incentives, and which subdivision types should be approved administratively rather than by the board. Members questioned how agricultural and farming requirements could be enforced, given that a bona fide farm sits outside county zoning; staff said conservation would likely require an easement. One member asked whether conservation subdivisions could be encouraged by something other than density bonuses, such as expedited review or reduced fees.

Staff said the average lot size in county subdivisions was around 2.25 acres some years ago, limited largely by what wells and septic systems allow. A member raised the ecological cost of that pattern. Others discussed duplexes, triplexes and multifamily as density options, one member pressed the need for affordable housing, and another said higher density needs public water and sewer extensions rather than privately owned shared systems.

On defining open space, members said the definition should be worked out with the parks, erosion control, stormwater and environmental health staff, and that open space should be usable for recreation rather than counting things like stormwater control measures.