The moratorium means the city will not accept permit applications for new developments in the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction where a waiver or exception has not been approved, according to the ordinance.
On Nov. 22, council will vote on extending the moratorium to 90 days. It could be extended further or terminated by a vote of the council at any time. If council does not vote to extend the moratorium taking effect Nov. 18, it will end Nov. 27.
“This is not going to shut down construction,” said Mim James, chair of the planning and zoning commission, who spoke at the Nov. 16 meeting.
The city estimates there are over 5,000 homes in the process of being built that will be unaffected by the moratorium due to prior approvals, James said.
The purpose of the moratorium is to allow the city to address wastewater capacity and update the comprehensive plan, which was last changed in 2016.
Some projects will receive exceptions, which are approved by administration within 10 days, City Attorney Laura Mueller said at the Nov 16 meeting. Small projects that do not affect wastewater capacity are among those that will not be affected by the moratorium.
Developers proposing larger projects can also apply for a waiver, which will give them the opportunity to argue before council that their proposed development would have no detrimental impact on the city.
