SANDPOINT — The Planning and Zoning Commission will continue discussions next week on Dec. 2 for a change in city code that would double the amount of space that buildings can take up in residential zones.

The change in code could see the maximum amount of impervious surface, which can include building footprint, increase from 35% to 70%. Sandpoint City Planner Bill Dean said change would increase density by allowing property owners to expand their homes with more rooms or an accessory dwelling unit. 

“The idea behind this proposed amendment was to let property owners do what they want with their property,” Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker said. "More living space per square foot in Sandpoint infill density, this is going to be what ultimately promotes affordability in this town.” 

Commissioner Reid Weber expressed hesitation about the change during the commission’s discussion, concerned the change could damage neighborhood character. During the Nov. 18 meeting, Weber said the change is a drastic jump and proposed adding more restrictions on larger lots to ensure that the code promotes home density. 

“I agree it makes a lot of sense for a small lot, to reach the density coverage,” Weber said. “With the 70% change, would that ever be provided only for those lots that are actually creating additional units, like an ADU or creating a duplex?” 

The commissioners have also presented concerns about developers taking advantage of the code change and building one gigantic home on a large single-family lot which was dubbed the “McMansion concern” by the city staff.  

“The concern of the big McMansion is real,” Dean said. “Where my mind goes is to the ability for a smaller lot to have this flexibility, to have a different kind of house. It's a tough one.” 

In order to address those concerns, city staff generated several other options which began to shrink the percentage as the size of the lot increased. The most recent option created by the planning department uses a complicated formula to determine down to the square foot how much space a building could take up on a lot. 

Welker said that while that option is the most equitable option, it is difficult to administer. For those reasons, the city staff’s recommendation is to move forward with a simpler option of increasing it to 70% for all lots in residential areas.  

While only four commissioners were there, three were in favor of the change. Commissioner William Mitchell said he lives in a single-family zone on a large lot but would never build a large home because it isn’t cost effective. 

“I'm not going to build a 12,000-square-foot McMansion because it's cost prohibitive anyway,” Mitchell said. "I think a lot of people that own those are not the people who have the money to build these kinds of houses. But I might build an ADU with this rule. 

Welker said the city’s comprehensive plan directs city staff to find more ways to implement ADUs in the community and expand the housing supply. Dean said this change is one way the city can deregulate to help the market thrive in the city. 

Also at the Nov. 18 meeting, Welker and Dean presented an additional amendment that would shrink the minimum lot size in residential multi-family zones down from 5,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet. The amendment also shrinks the minimum required frontage from 37.5 feet down to 25 feet. 

Welker said this change brings current city regulations more in-line with how Sandpoint was platted 100 years ago. Both Welker and Dean said these changes are an effort to increase the density of housing in Sandpoint, with the expressed goal of creating more affordable homes. 

“You think about who plotted Sandpoint originally. These were the mill owners in town that needed housing for their workers,” Welker said. “Sandpoint’s original subdivisions were plotted for local workers... here we are today struggling to find place for local workers to live.” 

All four attending commissioners were supportive of the idea but will get the chance to further discuss it at their next meeting. These changes will be brought forward for further discussion at the Planning and Zoning Commission’s next meeting Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.