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Planning commission members revisited the same piece of legislation they had seen months earlier Tuesday evening in an effort to iron out potential kinks in its wording.

Newly elected chairman Bill Brewer said the purpose of the zoning code amendment was to go hand-in-hand with the city's charter amendment, allowing larger commercial spaces in the Uptown district.

"The basis of this legislation should be on creating the maximum floor spaces possible," Brewer said. "I understand that property owners want to get the maximum residential area, but this was meant to get as much commercial space in the Uptown area as we can."

City Council members approved the zoning code amendment during their Nov. 20 meeting, pending further review by the planning commission of items dealing with floor area ratios and how basements, patios and other specified areas would figure into those ratios.

Scott Webb, a local architect, said he had been meeting with city staff regarding several problems he had with the document. He raised concerns over the amendment's proposed 1:1 commercial space lot ratio, saying there is no such thing as 100 percent lot area coverage.

City Planner Kathy Dale said the city's intent was to get as much commercial space in the Uptown district without mandating that every building have an identical layout. Specifying a FAR rather than designating floors for certain uses allows developers more freedom in crafting future buildings, she said.

"It is saying you have to provide equivalent commercial space elsewhere in the building if you take it up on the ground floor," Dale said. "We think it gives flexibility to the designer and property owner to get some really unique properties in the Uptown district."

The planning commission ruled to not compute basement space into the commercial space ratio, but to compute areas for public infrastructure and outdoor eating areas into the 1:1 ratio. As it pertains to the decided 2:1 residential ratio, they ruled that outdoor patios, decks and balconies would be included in that.

Also included in the amendment are a minimum height of 23 feet (two stories) and a maximum height of 45 feet (four stories), as well as regulations on lot and floor areas. Lots Uptown will be a minimum of 3,000 square feet, with requirements varying depending on the number of bedrooms in a specific property.

Commission members unanimously approved the altered amendment, passing the changes on to city council for review.