Agenda Items & Discussion

• The committee reviewed its role: considering major modifications to the Form Based Code that do not qualify for staff approval, along with appeals of staff decisions, with rulings applying only to the associated applications. Speakers were sworn in and procedures reviewed.
• FBC 26-22, 702 Manufacturers Road (Riverfront/Riverview zones): The applicant requested larger projecting-sign allowances for a multi-unit residential building that cannot have a monument sign because it sits close to the front setback. Requests included increasing maximum sign area from 20 to 53.7 square feet, height from 8 to 13.4 feet, width from 3 to 4 feet, and maximum sign height above the sidewalk from 24 to 36 feet. The applicant offered images of a code-compliant sign for comparison; the committee discussed what counts as a sign versus a work of art and whether a denial would bar reapplication for a year.
• FBC 26-23, 1804 Chestnut Street (urban commercial mixed-use zone): The applicant sought to reduce the minimum building height along an A street from two stories to one for a pavilion with a height similar to a two-story building. Members discussed the unconditioned enclosed space, the building filling the full lot along 17th Street, openness to the street, and the potential for the space to sit underused.
• FBC 26-24, 1633 Capella Street (urban residential attached zone): The applicant requested reducing the building setback from 10 to 5 feet, lot area from 2,500 to about 2,350 square feet, and primary-street lot frontage from 80 percent to 54 percent for a new three-story dwelling on a lot subdivided under an earlier approval. A neighbor at 1624 Reed Avenue submitted written opposition, calling the building too tall and skinny and the lot too small; staff noted the zone allows a three-story building on a lot this size by right.

Key Decisions & Votes

• FBC 26-22: The committee moved to deny each requested increase (sign area, height, width and height above sidewalk). The motion was carried, with no members voting against it.
• FBC 26-23: A motion to approve the reduction from two stories to one was made and seconded; the transcript shows a hand-count after initial confusion, and the final tally is not clearly stated.
• FBC 26-24: Motion to approve the reduced setback, lot area (subject to a recorded future access easement) and reduced lot frontage carried.
• The committee adjourned after all agenda cases were heard.

Note: This summary was generated from an automated transcript and may contain errors; consult official records for exact motions and vote tallies.