TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Marisa Lundstedt, Community Development Director
Laurie B. Jester, Planning Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Report on History of Residential Mansionization Code Amendments (Community Development Director Lundstedt).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council review the report and provide direction.
Body
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
If the City Council directs staff to evaluate and then possibly pursue further Zoning Code Amendments, additional resources will be required, including potentially the retention of consultants. The implications and fiscal impact will be determined in the future based on the direction provided by Council. Staff will need to return with further information and options if the Council directs staff to pursue Zoning Code Amendments.
BACKGROUND:
On August 18, 2015 the City Council requested that staff provide some background on residential Mansionization. Planning staff last presented a report to the City Council on July 16th and then November 19, 2013 on Mansionization related to open space revisions. Other minor clean-up Code amendments (Minor Exceptions, maximum lot size, required alley access and Alternative Fuel Vehicle Charger locations) were also included with the proposed open space Code Amendments. (Attachment 1) At the November 19, 2013 meeting the City Council took public comments, discussed the items extensively, focusing on the open space provisions, and did not take any action on the Draft Ordinances. The Council directed staff to send the items back to the Planning Commission for further review and, in addition to evaluating open space, to address maximum building height, minor exceptions, and basements. Due to staff commitments to other projects and limited resources, these items have not been brought back to the Planning Commission for review.
DISCUSSION:
The City's initial Bulk/Volume Zoning Code Amendments were intended to address single-family residential building mass as viewed from the street. The subsequent Mansionization Amendments were oriented toward increasing open space and setbacks, limiting lot size, and encouraging retention of existing smaller homes. The goals of the City Council in adopting the new Zoning Code requirements were as follows:
•Reduce mass/bulk of homes, particularly from the front at the 2nd level
•No reduction in allowable Buildable Floor Area (BFA)
•Provide flexibility in architectural design
The following is a summary of the Zoning Code Amendments completed by Planning staff over the years. The City website provides links to all of the staff reports, minutes, attachments and Ordinances:
• April 2002- Bulk/Volume standards adopted with Ordinance No. 2032
• December 2003- Bulk/Volume Amendments adopted with Ordinance No. 2050
• September 2004- Additional Bulk/Volume Amendments adopted with Ordinance No. 2061
• January 2005- Minor Exception allowance created in to encourage the retention of small homes.
• February 2008- Mansionization/Bulk-Volume/Merger/Small Home Amendments adopted with Ordinance Nos. 2111 and 2112 as reviewed and recommended by the Mansionization Committee
• May 2013- Mansionization revisions recommended by Planning Commission with Resolution No. PC 13-06.
• July and November 2013- City Council reviewed Commission recommendations and asked for further study by the Commission.
CONCLUSION:
Staff requests that the City Council review and discuss the information provided and direct staff accordingly. If the Council would like staff to pursue Zoning Code amendments, staff believes that a joint City Council and Planning Commission Workshop to focus on the issues and to provide key policy direction would be beneficial. At this time staff would like input from the Council on which of the following Code areas, or others, that staff should potentially pursue:
1. Open Space
2. Building height, and measurement of height
3. Basements
4. Minor Exceptions
5. Other items
Attachments:
1. City Council Staff Report and Attachments 1-3-(ORD 13-0015 and ORD 13-0016) November 19, 2013
2. City Council Minutes -November 19, 2013
3. City Council Staff Report, Excluding Attachments-(ORD 13-0015) July 16, 2013
4. City Council Minutes- July 16, 2013