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The City of Liberty passed an ordinance Monday setting new design and construction standards for future multifamily developments, including a ban on vinyl siding, new landscaping requirements, and rules on where garages can be placed.
The ordinance bans vinyl siding, panelized plywood siding, exposed concrete block, and metal siding from future multifamily developments.
Under the ordinance, all garages — attached or detached — must be located in the rear yard. Driveways and parking pads must be located only within the rear yard or side yard. At least 30% of the total site area in planned residential developments must be maintained as open space, greenways, or permeable surfaces.
The ordinance also includes neighborhood compatibility requirements for multifamily buildings built near single-family homes.
Mayor Greg Canuteson said the city wants developments that will hold up over time.
"We want first-class development. If you've been to other cities and you see apartment buildings that have been around for 30 or 40 years, a lot of times, they're in terrible condition. They get run down," he said. "We want to make sure the developments in Liberty are first class and will stand the test of time."
Canuteson said he is not concerned that the new rules will drive up housing costs.
"Absolutely not. Most developers don't use vinyl," the mayor said. "We want to make sure that we keep cheap developers out of the community."
He said that the ordinance was passed by planning and zoning unanimously and that no opposition was expressed from the public or developers at the city council meeting.
However, not everyone on the council agreed. Councilmember Jeff Watts voted against the ordinance, citing affordability concerns.
"I was not in favor of including a full ban on vinyl siding," Watts said. "I would have been happy if we could have found a way not to allow the cheapest."
Watts said he still views the ordinance favorably overall, but banning vinyl siding could push up prices for renters and buyers, particularly younger residents.
"We're creating a lot of new jobs in this community, and the folks can't afford to live here. And that's just kind of frustrating," Watts said.
What neighbors have to say
Spring Avenue Duplexes were used in City Council study sessions as examples of "things" the city doesn't want.
Neighbors there had mixed reactions about the ordinance.
Emma Shoemaker, who has lived there for a year and a half, said she welcomed the landscaping requirements.
"I remember when we moved here, I was thinking, 'Where are the trees?' I wish we had more landscaping."
She also said the garage placement rule made sense to her.
"I feel like it would make more sense, maybe to have it in the back, just because the driveways aren't very long, and so people who have different schedules are having to park on the street so that somebody can park on the driveway and not have to move cars around when somebody needs to leave."
A neighbor who has lived in the area for four years said the cost implications concerned him.
"They want to impose other things to make it look better, but they don't really think about it nowadays, with the economy the way it is right now, a lot of people just can't afford that. You put more expensive materials on the side of the house, and it's going to make the rent go up," he said.
That neighbor also said the rear garage requirement would be an inconvenience.
"The garage in the back, I think it'd be more of a hassle," he said.
"Don't bug me either way," he said. "I'm used to seeing a lot worse than what I see here."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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