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Home My WebLink About2019-05-13 Ordinance 546420190513 ay 0160015 Ordinance No. 5464 Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Amending Chapter 18.18 of Title 18 (Zoning) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code to Add a New Floor Area Exemption for Rooftop Access and Allowing Changes to Noncomplying Facilities to Allow for Such Rooftop Access Bonuses The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as follows: SECTION 1. Section 18.18.060 (Development Standards) of Chapter 18.18 (Downtown Commercial District) of Title 18 (Zoning) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: 18.18.060 Development Standards (e) Exemptions (1) When an existing building is being expanded, square footage which, in the judgement of the chief building official, does not increase the usable floor area, and is either necessary to conform the building to Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, regarding disability related access, or is necessary to implement the historic rehabilitation of the building, shall not be counted as floor area. For the purposes of this section disability related upgrades are limited to the incremental square footage approval not to exceed 500 square feet per site. Disability related upgrades shall only apply to remodels of existing buildings and shall not qualify for grandfathered floor area in the event the building is later replaced or otherwise redeveloped. (2) Buildings located in the CDC subdistrict that are noncomplying for height or and gross floor area shall be permitted to increase height and expand floor area to the minimum degree necessary to provide rooftop access and related amenities. Such access and amenities may include features such as stairs, elevators, trellises, outdoor furniture, railings, lighting, and other similar features. For the purposes of this section rooftop access floor area shall not be counted as gross floor area. Rooftop accessrelated features may be located only on portions of buildings located at least 150 feet from a residential zone which, for the purposes of this section, includes the R1, R2, RMD, RM15, RM30, RM40, and SOFA districts or Planned Community (PC) districts that permit residential uses. Any request for a rooftop access exception under this section shall be subject to a conditional use permit. The Planning Director may initiate a formal review pursuant to Chapter 18.77 (Processing of Permits and Approvals) of any conditional use permit granted under this section if the site is the subject of multiple complaints in violation of Chapter 9.10 (Noise). For buildings requesting increased height, all fixtures and structures shall remain below a plane measured at a fortyfive degree angle beginning from the edges of the building, nearest the rooftop deck surface, and sloping upward and inward toward the center of the building. DocuSign Envelope ID: EC23A48C-6161-41A6-9C0B-7F471EA74E9B 20190513 ay 0160015 SECTION 2. Section 18.18.120 (Grandfathered Uses and Facilities) of Chapter 18.18 (Downtown Commercial District) of Title 18 (Zoning) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: 18.18.120 Grandfathered Uses and Facilities (a) Grandfathered Uses (1) The following uses and facilities may remain as grandfathered uses, and shall not require a conditional use permit or be subject to the provisions of Chapter 18.70: (A) Any use which was being conducted on August 28, 1986; or (B) A use not being conducted on August 28, 1986, if the use was temporarily discontinued due to a vacancy of 6 months or less before August 28, 1986; or (C) Any office use existing on April 16, 1990 on a property zoned CD and GF combining, which also existed as a lawful conforming use prior to August 28, 1986, notwithstanding any intervening conforming use. (2) The grandfathered uses in subsection (1) shall be permitted to remodel, improve, or replace site improvements on the same site, for continual use and occupancy by the same use, provided such remodeling, improvement, or replacement complies with all of the following: (A) shall not result in increased floor area; (B) shall not relocate below grade floor area to above grade portions of the building; (C) shall not result in an increase of the height, length, building envelope, building footprint or any other increase in the size of the improvement. For shape and size occupied by an existing building. It is not the maximum, buildable potential of the site; (D) shall not increase the degree of noncompliance, except pursuant to the exceptions to floor area ratio regulations set forth in Section 18.18.070; or (E) in the case of medical, professional, general business or administrative office uses of a size exceeding 5,000 square feet in the CDS or CDN district that are deemed grandfathered pursuant to subsection (1), such remodeling, improvement, or replacement shall not result in increased floor area devoted to such office uses. (F) length, and the building envelope through Architectural Review of minor DocuSign Envelope ID: EC23A48C-6161-41A6-9C0B-7F471EA74E9B 20190513 ay 0160015 aesthetic architectural improvements and to improve pedestrianorientation provided there is no increase to the degree of any noncomplying feature. (3) If a grandfathered use deemed existing pursuant to subsection (1) ceases and thereafter remains discontinued for 12 consecutive months, it shall be considered abandoned and may be replaced only by a conforming use. (4) A use deemed grandfathered pursuant to subsection (1) which is changed to or replaced by a conforming use shall not be reestablished, and any portion of a site or any portion of a building, the use of which changes from a grandfathered use to a conforming use, shall not thereafter be used except to accommodate a conforming use. (b) Grandfathered Facilities (1) Any noncomplying facility existing on August 28, 1986 and which, when built, was a complying facility, may remain as a grandfathered facility and shall not be subject to the provisions of Chapter 18.70. (2) The grandfathered facilities in subsection (1) shall be permitted to remodel, improve, or replace site improvements on the same site for continual use and occupancy, by the same use, provided such remodeling, improvement, or replacement complies with all of the following: (A) shall not result in increased floor area; (B) shall not relocate below grade floor area to above grade portions of the building; (C) shall not result in an increase of the height, length, building envelope, building footprint, or any other increase in the size of the improvement; (D) shall not increase the degree of noncompliance, except pursuant to the exceptions to floor area ratio regulations set forth in Section 18.18.070; (E) print, height, length, and the building envelope through Architectural Review of minor aesthetic architectural improvements and to improve pedestrianorientation provided there is no increase to the degree of any noncomplying feature, except as provided for rooftop access and amenities in Section 18.18.060(e). SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion of the Ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional. The adoption of this Ordinance shall not DocuSign Envelope ID: EC23A48C-6161-41A6-9C0B-7F471EA74E9B 20190513 ay 0160015 impact the effectiveness of and shall be cumulative with Ordinance 5462, which also amends Section 18.18.120. SECTION 4. The Council finds that this Ordinance is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15305 because it involves minor alterations of land use regulations. SECTION 5. This Ordinance shall be effective on the thirtyfirst date after the date of its adoption. INTRODUCED: February 25, 2019 PASSED: May 13, 2019 AYES: CORMACK, FILSETH, FINE, KNISS, TANAKA NOES: DUBOIS, KOU ABSENT: ABSTENTIONS: City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED: Deputy City Attorney City Manager Interim Director of Planning and Community Environment DocuSign Envelope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