HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-12-15 Ordinance 4472• •
ORDINANCE NO. 4472
ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO
AMENDING SECTIONS 18.04.030 AND 18.88.020 OF TITLE
18 OF THE PALO ALTO MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING
CARPORTS
The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as
follows:
SECTION 1.
A. The Planning Commission, after duly noticed public
hearing held August 27, 1997, has considered and made its
recommendations regarding proposed amendments to the provisions in
Title 18 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code regarding carports; and
9. The City Council, after due consideration of the
Commission's recommendations, finds that the amendments to Title 13
set forth below are in the public interest and will promote the
public health, safety and welfare.
SECTION 2. Section 18.04.030 of Chapter 18.04 off Title 18
of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended by adding new
subsection (24.5) and amending subsection (65) to read as follows:
18. 04.030 Definitions.
(a) Throughout this title the following words and
phrases shall have the meanings ascribed in this section.
(24.5) "Carport' means a portion of a principal
residential building or an accessory building to a residential use
designed to be utilized for the shelter of one (1) or more motor
vehicles, which is open (unenclosed) at the vehicular entry side
and which has no more than two (2) sides enclosed.
(65)(A) "Gross floor area" means the total area of all
floors of a building measured to the outside surfaces of exterior
walls, and including the following:
(i) Halls;
(ii) Stairways;
(iii) Elevator shafts;
(iv) Service and mechanical equipment rooms;
(v) Basement, cellar or attic areas deemed usable
by the chief building official;
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(vi) Open or roofed porches, arcades, plazas,
balconies, courts, walkways, breezeways or porticos if located
above the ground floor and used for required access;
(vii) Permanently roofed, but either partially
enclosed or unenclosed, building features used for sales, service,
display, storage or similar uses;
(viii) In residential districts, all roofed porches,
arcades, balconies, porticos, breezeways or similar features when
located above the ground floor.
(H) Gross floor area shall not include the following:
(i) Parking facilities accessory to a permitted
or conditional use and located on the same site;
iii) Roofed arcades, plazas,
breezeways, porticos, and similar features
enclosed by exterior walls, and courts, at or
when accessible to the general public and not
service, display, storage or similar uses.
walkways, porches,
not substantially
near street level,
devoted to sales,
(iiii Except in the CD District. and in areas
designated as special study areas, minor additions of floor area
approved by the director of planning and community environment for
purposes of resource conservation or code compliance, upon the
determination that such minor additions will increase compliance
with environmental health, safety or other federal, *ate or local
standards. Such additions may include, but not be limited to, the
following:
a. Area designed for resource conservation,
such as trash compactors, recycling and thermal storage facilities;
b. Area designed and required for hazardous
materials storage facilities, handicapped access or seismic
upgrades;
(iv) In c.^ :rcial and industrial districts except
in the CD District and in areas designated as special study areas,
additions of floor area designed and used solely for on -site
employee amenities for employees of the facility, approved by the
director of planning and community environment, upon the
determination that such additions will facilitate the reduction of
employee vehicle use. Such additions may include, but not be
limited to, recreational facilities, credit unions, cafeterias and
day care centers.
(C) In the R-1 and R -E single-family residence
districts, "gross floor area" means the total covered area of all
floors of a main structure and accessory structures greater than
one hundred twenty square feet in area, including covered parking
and stairways, measured to the outside surface of exterior walls,
subject to the following exceptions:
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(i) Floor area where the distance between the
floor and the roof directly above it measures 5.18 meters
(seventeen feet) or more, shall be counted twice;
(ii) Floor area where the distance between the
floor and the roof directly above it measures 7.92 meters
(twenty-six feet) or more shall be counted three times;
(iii) Basements where the finished level of the
first floor is not more than .91 meters (three feet) above the
grade around the perimeter of the building foundation, shall be
excluded from the calculation of gross floor area, provided that
lightwells, stairwells and other excavated features comply with the
provisions of Section 18.10.050(m), 18.12.050(o), 18.17.050(p), or
18.19.050(o), as applicable; and
(iv) 60.69 square meters (two hundred square feet)
of unusable third floor equivalent, such as attic space, shall be
excluded from the calculation of gross floor area.
(v) Carports shall be counted toward the maximum
allowable floor area ratio requirements.
SECTION 3. Section 18.88.020 of Chapter 18.88 of Title 18
of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as
follows:
18.88.020 Accessory uses and facilities.
(a) Accessory uses and facilities shall be permitted in
any district when incidental to and associated with a permitted use
or facility, or when incidental to and associated with an allowable
and authorized conditional use therein, subject to the provisions
of this section.
(b) Accessory uses and facilities:
(1) Shall bl sub.G.7dinate to the primary activity of
the principal use or the principal facility, respectively;
(2) Shall contribute to the comfort, convenience,
efficiency, or necessity of the occupants or the activities of a
principal use, or the function of a principal structure;
(3) Shall be located on the same site as the
principal use or structure served, except as otherwise authorized
by this title.
(c) Accessory uses and facilities include, but are not
limited to, the following list of examples; provided that each
accessory use or facility shall comply with all provisions of this
title:
principal use;
(1) Residential garages, carports, and parking
facilities, together with access and circulation elements necessary
thereto;
(2) Customer, visitor, and employee parking
facilities, and off-street loading facilities, together with access
and circulation elements necessary thereto;
(3) Facilities for storage incidental to a
(4) Recreational uses and facilities for the use
and convenience of occupants or employees, or guests thereof, of a
principal use or facility;
(5) Newsstands, gift shops, drugstores, and eating
and drinking facilities, or similar services intended solely for
the convenience of occupants or employees, or guests thereof, of a
principal use, when conducted entirely within a principal facility;
(6) Building management offices when located within
facility and limited to the management thereof;
(7) Refreshment and service facilities in parks, in
and in permitted public or private recreation
schools;
the principal
playgrounds,
facilities or
equipment in
institutions
use.
(8) The operation of service facilities and
connection with schools, hospitals, and similar
or uses, when located on the site of the principal
(d) No use or facility permitted as an accessory use or
facility pursuant to this section shall be construed to be
permitted as a principal use or facility unless specifically
authorized as a permitted or conditional use in the district in
which it shall be located. Operation, occupancy, and continuance
of allowable accessory uses and facilities shall be conditioned
upon the continued occupancy or use of the principal use or
facility being served.
(e) Accessory buildings located within a required
interior yard, as permitted by this section, shall not individually
or cumulatively occupy an area exceeding fifty percent of the
required rear yard.
SECTION 4. Except as amended by Section 2 of this
Ordinance, all provisions of Section 18.04.030 of Title 18 of the
Palo Alto Municipal Code remain unchanged.
SECTION 5. The following projects are exempt from the
change in regulations enacted by this ordinance:
A. Any of the following development projects as they
are currently described and on file with the City, each of which
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has commenced and/or completed the Compatibility Review process
described in Chapter 16.50 on or before November 21, 1997, so long
as a building permit for a carport is obtained on or before
December 31, 1998:
1. 1012 Fulton File No. 97-HRB-84
2. 1646 Castilleja File No. 97-HRB-144
3. 851 Homer File No. 97-HRB-155
=':. . 219 Rinconada File No. 97-HRB-185
5. 2145 Emerson File No. 97-HRB-262
6. 1022 Webster File No. 97-HRB-98
7. 235 Embarcadero File No. 97-HRB-270
B. Any development project for which a complete
application for building plan check review has not been received
and filed on or before December 1, 1997 shall be subject to this
Ordinance.
SEQTION 6. The Council finds that this ordinance is exempt
from CEQA in that it modifies design standards for single-family
residences, which are already exempt from environmental review.
SECTION 7. This ordinance shall be effective on the
thirty-first date after the date of its adoption.
INTRODUCED: December 1, 1997
PASSED: December 15, 1997
AYES: ANDERSEN, EAKINS, HUBER, KNISS, ROSENBAUM, WHEELER
NOES:
ABSENT: FAZZINO
ABSTENTIONS:
NOT PARTICIPATING:
ATTEST:
MCCOWN, SCHNEIDER
City Clerk
VED AS/'iV FORM:
rector of P1 nra ' - g and
or Ass City Attorney Community Env ronment
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