Planning commissioners continued to try to make sense out of nuances related to special events, wedding receptions, and other gatherings so City Code would be consistent in definitions and conditional uses. Commissioner Susan Harman suggested the first thing to do would be to decide on a name for the category they were struggling with. City Economic Development Director Glenna Booth suggested the term “private events,” and commissioners seemed to like it.
Harman said she wanted definitions clear enough so that a person could not sneak around the law and, for example, have private events regularly, thereby impacting the neighborhood.
Commissioner Woodie Acord cautioned commissioners not to micromanage, but simply assume people would obey the law. Booth pointed out Quiet Use restrictions and parking regulations are already in place, but there are conflicts between what is prohibited in Code for C-3 zone and what commissioners want to allow at private events. She added the wedding establishment section of Code is “very confusing. I am hoping you can clean it up.”
Commissioners noticed that some establishments have a Conditional Use Permit for being both a Bed & Breakfast and a wedding venue, but other B&B owners, such as Harman, had to obtain two CUPs.
“Seems like the process changed midstream,” Harman commented, and Booth responded, “That’s why we need to clean it up.”
Harman conjectured there simply could be check boxes on the business license for what a person is permitted for, but commissioners first must organize the confusion so anyone could distinguish between the different wedding-related and event-related licenses.
“If we’re ever going to do this, let’s do this so we never have to do it again,” Harman said.
Commissioners continued to notice conflicts in Code, unclear nuances in restrictions, and a conundrum at every turn in the pursuit of making Code clearer.
Eventually Booth commented the commission might not need to do much, but it is bothersome that Code is confusing in parts. She said she would review some of the issues and report back. She said her intent was not to crack down on people who want to have events, but to clarify what the laws are.