In November of 2023 the City of Spokane adopted new zoning regulations for lower-intensity residential zones. These changes, referred to as “Building Opportunity for Housing” (BOH) were intended to permanently implement the temporary changes put in place by the Building Opportunities and Choices for All program (BOCA).
BOH was a major change to The City’s zoning regulations. As staff have worked with developers and property owners to implement the new regulations, many issues have been identified. This is an expected aspect of adopting major changes to the development code.
The current proposed changes are provided in red below, in the briefing papers under “Documents,” along with a table that describes the nature of the changes for each section in general terms.
After four Plan Commission workshops, a proposal of the changes was brought forward to a Public Hearing on November, 13, 2024. The Commission recommended approval with four amendments to the City Council.
The Plan Commission recommendation was reviewed by the City Council Urban Experience Committee on December 9, 2024. On January 6, 2025, the City Council passed an amendment relating to design standards and how they apply to garage facades. This amendment can be found here. On January 27, 2025, at the City Council Agenda Review Meeting, a second amendment was passed clarifying building articulation requirements which can be found here. At the January 27, 2025 public hearing, the City Council unanimously passed the ordinance. The effective date of the ordinance will be March 6, 2025.
This proposal is expected to improve the public’s understanding of the code requirements and make it easier for staff to administer requirements. It also modifies some requirements based on challenges that exist in the current code that have been identified during review of proposed projects.
View more Plan Commission recordings on the City of Spokane Vimeo.
