- Draft ordinance regulating cottage food businesses in the city
Responding to “a surge in public interest,” according to the staff report, the council directed staff in August to draft language that would allow and regulate cottage food businesses in Crestview.
Cottage foods can be homemade and sold directly to consumers without a USDA permit. Regulations concerning what can be sold, as well as health and safety, are the purview of the state, but the city can regulate how the businesses operate.
Currently, such businesses operated from homes or accessory structures are not permissible according to Crestview’s Land Development Code.
The ordinance includes language governing parking, stand sizes, ingress and egress points, signage and other concerns that fall under the jurisdiction of city code enforcement.
The draft is up for review by the Planning and Development Board at its Oct. 5 meeting to determine whether the ordinance will be forwarded to the City Council for first reading. If approved by the Planning and Development Board, it will be sent to the City Council for first reading Oct. 26.
- Draft ordinance to loosen administrative waiver requirements for affordable housing development
Affordable housing development is governed by minimum lot dimensions and setback requirements. Administrative waivers currently permit a 10 percent deviation from those standards, which, according to the City Development Services staff report, restrict development of affordable housing on smaller lots.
The Planning and Development Board will review a draft ordinance to increase this deviation to 25 percent to “provide further flexibility in affordable housing development.”
Affordable housing developments that are permitted administrative waivers must still abide by the definition of affordable housing. Monthly rent for affordable rental housing must not exceed 30 percent of 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). The monthly payment for a purchased affordable housing unit must not exceed 30 percent of 80 percent of AMI.
The ordinance will also be presented to the City Council for first reading Oct. 26.
- Development report
When time permits, Planning Administrator Dawn Barnes updates the Planning and Development Board on current and future projects, such as housing developments and new businesses. She provides an overview of developments in review, development orders issued since the last meeting and final plats.
