Over the objections of several housing developers, and one dissenting vote, North Bend’s City Council finalized changes to its low-density residential  zoning on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

The changes, adopted July 1 as an interim, or emergency ordinance, increased the minimums for lot size and lot width, and bumped up the average lot size required in the city’s R4 zone. Although the city made the initial changes on short notice, the city’s planning commission, assigned to review the zone requirements following the council’s action July 1, spent several months discussing the issue. Both the City Council and the Planning Commission have also held public hearings on the changes, Aug. 19 and Sept. 11, respectively.

During the public comment, Kevin Sweepe told the council that he had sold property in the affected R4 zone and said “With the widening of the streets and the setbacks, you can no longer fit four units per acre.” The change was going to cost him “hundreds and thousands of dollars,” he said, and finished by telling council members “You should hold your seat for all of the people of the community, not just a few.”

Before the vote, Councilman David Cook recommended the code change, saying, “We tried to adjust as we went along, after we’d seen some of the new developments.”

On March 4, the council voted unanimously to change the city’s street standards in residential zones, to require two 7.5 foot parking lanes and two 9-foot lanes of travel.

Councilman Ryan Kolodejchuk asked if smaller developments in the R4 zone were exempt from the lot size requirements. Planning staff said developments smaller than 40 acres were allowed to pay a fee in lieu of meeting a city requirement to provide park space, but there was no exemption on the lot sizes.

Kolodejchuk cast the only opposing vote on the changes, which were approved. Housing developments in the city’s low-density R4 zone are now required to have an average lot size of 8,000 square feet, (up from 6,500) with a minimum of 7,500 square feet (up from 5,000), a minimum width of 60 feet up from 40) and additional changes for side-loaded garages, and variable front yard depths.

• Learn more about city of North Bend projects at www.ci.northbend.wa.us.