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Home My WebLink About1998-07-06 City Council (8)of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT DATE:JULY 6, 1998 CMR:293:98 SUBJECT:REQUEST OF PROPERTY OWNERS OF TRACT 1722 AND PORTIONS OF TRACT 1977 FOR CONSIDERATION OF SINGLE STORY OVERLAY ZONING FOR THE MEADOW PARK UNIT 5 NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT IN BRIEF The property owners of Tract 1722 and portions of Tract 1977 have requested City approval ’ of a single story overlay zone in their portion of the Meadow Park neighborhood. The City adopted a single story overlay zone (S) as part of the Zoning Ordinance in 1992 and has since applied the overlay to five areas in the Walnut Grove, Green Meadows, and Charleston Meadows neighborhoods. The current request appears to meet the four criteria established by the City for applying the overlay zone to single family neighborhoods. Survey results reported in the letter indicate a strong neighborhood support (83 of 106 parcels, or 79 percent) for the application of the single family overlay zone. The proposed boundaries are logical and define an identifiable neighborhood. The homes within the proposed boundary are similar in age (1950s), design (mostly Eichler) and character (103 of 106 homes are currently single story). The lots within the neighborhood are moderate in size (70 percent are between 6,000 and 8,000 square feet). In the prevous five requests from neighbors, the City Council has initiated the zone change process for subsequent review by the Planning Commission and City Council. CMR:293:98 Page 1 of 5 RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City Council initiate and refer to the Planning Commission consideration of a single story overlay zone for the R-1 single family area shown on the attached map (Attachment A). BACKGROUND On July 13, 1992, the City Council adopted a single story overlay zone (S) as part of the Zoning Ordinance and applied the overlay to the Walnut Grove neighborhood. On April 26, 1993, the overlay was applied to the Green Meadows neighborhood. On January 21, 1997, the overlay was applied to Tract 795 of the Charleston Meadows neighborhood (96 lots). On September 15, 1997, the overlay was applied to Tract 840 of the Charleston Meadows neighborhood (61 lots). On November 17, 1997, the overlay was applied to Tract 709 of the Blossom Park neighborhood (16 lots). The attached letter from the property owners of Tracts 1722 and 1977 (Attachment B) requests application of the single story overlay zone to the 106 single family parcels contained in the two tracts.~ It should be noted that the current application includes more homes than the previous proposals. Survey results reported in the letter indicate strong neighborhood support (79 percent) for the application of the single family overlay zone. DISCUSSION The Single Story Height Combining District (S) Overlay Zone Guidelines, adopted by the City Council on December 14, 1992 (Attachment C), establish criteria to guide City staffand decision makers in the consideration of zone change requests for application of the Single Story Height Combining District (S). The Guidelines specifically state that "for neighborhoods that contain and have been developed consistent with a single story deed restriction, these guidelines are to be treated with a greater degree of flexibility (than neighborhoods without the restriction)." The 72 homes in Tract 1722 were built by Eichler or Brown and Kaufman and have been developed consistent with single story deed restrictions. The 34 homes in Tract 1977 are all Eichler homes but do not have single story deed restrictions, The subject application is evaluated using the following criteria: Level and Format of Owner Support: An application for an (S) overlay zone map amendment should meet with "overwhelming" .support by owners of the affected property. The application is accomPanied by signed requests from 83 of the 106 properties (79 percent) within Tracts 1722 and 1977. Because a majority of the homes (72) within the neighborhood have been developed consistent with a single story deed restriction, the S Overlay Guidelines stipulate that this criterion should be treated with a greater degree of flexibility. Therefore, the 79 percent rate of support can be considered overwhelming and the first criterion has been satisfied. CMR:293:98 Page 2 of 5 Appropriate Boundaries: An application for an S overlay zone map amendment should be accompanied by a map indicating the address and location of those owners who are co-applicants for the zoning request. Boundaries should define an identifiable neighborhood. The application is accompanied by a map showing addresses and locations of the co- applicants. The map indicates an identifiable neighborhood of trapezoidal shape that is easily defined by existing street patterns and Adobe Creek. Therefore, the second criterion has been satisfied. Prevailing Single Story. Character: An area proposed for an S overlay zone map amendment should be of a prevailing single story character where the vast majority of existing single homes are single story. It is desirable that homes be similar in age, design, and character. Of the 106 properties included in this application, 103 are currently single story. Homes in this neighborhood were all built by Eichler or BroWn and Kaufman in the early 1950s. Therefore, the third criterion has been satisfied. Moderate Lot Sizes: An area proposed for an S overlay zone map amendment should be characterized by moderate lot sizes (7,000 to 8,000 square feet) with a generally consistent lotting pattern. Of the 106 lots, 43 are between 6,000 and 7,000 square feet and 31 are between 7,000 and 8,000 square feet. Applying the flexible interpretation of moderate lot size for homes with a deed restriction described above, 74 of 106 or 70 percent of the lots are between 6,000 and 8,000 square feet and can be considered moderate in size. Of the remaining lots, six are smaller than 6,000 square.feet and 26 are larger than 8,000 square feet. The neighborhood has a consistent lotting pattern that is defined by a grid of public streets and cul-de-sacs. Therefore, the fourth criterion has been satisfied. The subject application meets all four of the criteria established by the Single Story Height Combining District (S) Overlay Zone Guidelines. City initiation of the zone change process is recommended because the Tract 1722 and 1977 neighborhood cannot apply for the zone change without written authorization from each property owner. With some property owners expressing opposition to the zone change and others not responding to the neighborhood survey, it would not be realistic to expect the neighborhood to obtain the necessary authorizations and file the zone change request for all 106 parcels. City initiation of the zone change means that no fees would be charged. CMR:293:98 Page 3 of 5 RESOURCE IMPACT City initiation of the zone change would result in no City fees being charged. POLICY IMPLICATIONS The project is consistent with the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance. ALTERNATIVES The alternatives available to the City Council include: 1) 2) Expand or contract the boundaries of the proposed overlay district; or Deny the request to initiate consideration of a single story overlay zone for the Tract 1722 and 1977 neighborhood. TIMELINE If the Council elects to initiate this zoning application, staff recommends that the application be reviewed by the Planning Commission at a public hearing on August 12, 1998. Following Planning Commission review, the application will return to the City Council for a public hearing tentatively scheduled for September 21, 1998. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Should the City Council initiate review of this application, an environmental assessment will be conducted and will accompany the staff report to the Planning Commission. ATTACHMENTS A.Location Map B.June 9, 1998 request from the property owners of Tracts 1722 and 1977 for City approval of a single story overlay zone C. Single Story Height Combining District (S) Overlay Zone Guidelines PREPARED BY: Chandler Lee, Contract Planner DEPARTMENT HEAD: ANNE CRONIN MOORE Interim Director of Planning and Community Environment CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: SON Assistant City Manager CMR:293:98 Page 4 of 5 CC:Cathy Swan, 3939 Louis Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Abby Boyd, 3998 Bibbits Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Mary Campbell, 3946 Louis Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Sol Solk, 784 Gailen Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Louise Doolittle, 716 Gailen Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Robert Weiss, 3916 Louis Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Greenmeadow Community Assn., Walt Hays, President, 355 Parkside Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94306 CMR:293:98 Page 5 of 5 PF Project: Tract 1722 & 1977 3827 3838 3833 383G 3960 RM-I! Attachment A PF PC-2711 Graphic Attachment to Staff Report PF(D) File #: 98-ZC-4; 98-EIA-12 Scale: 1" = 400’ June 1998 Attachment B ,JU@ u ,, I~To: City of Palo Alto Zoning Administrator for Submission to City Council/Planni~parun~~ ~.. ..... Commission/City Council Community Env~ronmen. From: Property Owner of Meadowpark Unit #5, Tract 1722 and portion of Tract 1977 Subject: Request from Coapplicants of Meadowpark Unit #5, Tract 1722 and a portion of Tract 1977 for Application of the Single-Story Height Combining District (S) Overlay Zone to the Present R-1 Zoning Tract We request that the zone for Meadowpark Unit #5, Tract 1722 and a portion of Tract 1977 be changed from R-1 to R-I(S). There are a total of 106 residences in this request. A. Composition of included Tracts Tract 1722 includes Bibbits Drive, a portion of Louis from Charleston to Adobe Creek, the first 8 houses on Charleston, and 23 houses on Gailen and Gailen Court. All these homes were built by Brown and Kaufman and Eichler in the 1950s. There are 72 homes which have a deed of trust limiting the homes to one story. The 34 houses of the adjacent Tract 1977, composed of Eichler homes on Gailen and Grove are also included. These homes are a portion of larger tract that includes a church and apartments (zoned R-2) and a culdesac of two story homes. These Eichler homes in this tract were built in the 1950s, have never had a deed restriction and are all one story. Together these homes from the 2 tracts form a natural neighborhood sharing backyards, streets and cohesive architecture. They are bounded by Charleston Road, Adobe Creek, and industrial area of Fabian Way and Grove Street. Level and Format of Owner Support. To meet the overlay guideline request, signed requests for the single story overlay zone for Tract 1722 and Tract 1977 owners of 83 of 106 properties of the tracts signed for the request of the zoning change. This is 79% of the homeowners. At least one of the signature collectors spoke and distributed information to almost all the property owners in the tract. Follow up visits and flyers were distributed to everyone who did not respond to the initial visit/information. Absentee owners were contacted when possible. A serious effort was made to contact every property owner. A list of signers are attached. We feel that this large number of signatures represents an overwhelming support for the overlay zone. We have also attached a list of property owners whose signatures we were unable to obtain¯ C. Appropriate Boundaries Together these 2 tracts form a distinct neighborhood roughly rectangular shaped that is easily defined by existing street patterns. These homes share backyard, streets and cohesive architecture. The neighborhoods are bounded by Charleston Road on the south, Grove Street on the west, Adobe Creek on the north, and the industrial area of Fabian Way on the east, A map showing the boundaries of Tract 1722 and Tract 1977 is attached. The homes in these tracts are very similar in lots size and design. The tract boundaries were established by the developers Eichler and Brown and Kaufman in the 1950’s. D. Prevailing Single-Story Character There are only three houses out of 106, in the 2-tract neighborhood, which have single room second story additions classifying them as two story homes. All of the homes were built in the 1950s by either Eichler or Brown and Kaufman. The tract that does not have the deed restriction is composed entirely of Eichler homes and does not have any two-story homes. We feel that the list of signers shows overwhelming support for the R1 to R1 (S) overlay zone. Therefore the application should be considered generously E. Moderate Lot Size Size of lots is incliaded on the include list of property owners. 70% of the lots are between 6,000 and 8,000 showing most of the lots are generally compatible size. There are 6% smaller than 6,000sq feet and 24% that are larger than 8,000sq feet. Most all lots are consistent with the moderate lot size except for those found on culdesacs and comers which are larger. These calculations are based on the tax assessor/TRW figures and may or may not be accurate for irregularly shaped lots. F: Documents attached in support of this application: First set includes all information about the deed restriction. There is a copy of the official deed restriction which limits residences in Tract 1722 to one story. The deed was amended in 1985 and the single story deed restriction was re-instated in December of 1997. A copy of this is inclosed as well as a sample of the Signature Form for Deed Restriction. Second set is a copy of the two different zoning request signature forms. Signed request for the ’single-story overlay zone is attached. A written list all of the signers is included, we are also attaching a list of the property owners whose signatures we were unable to obtain. The written list of all property owners includes information about all the lots sizes. Third set is a map showing the boundaries of Tract 1722 and the portion of 1977 that is included in this request. The yellow and green colors denote property owners who are requesting the overlay zone. The orange lot outside the tract represents the owner who is adjacent to both tracts and wishes to be included in this request Sincerely ~Cathy Swan, 3939 Louis Road,OUlSe an James Doollitle, 716 Gailen Abby Boyd, 3998 Bibbits, 493-525 Robert Weiss, 3916 Louis Mary Campbell, 3946 Louis Road, 493-2634 Sol Solk, 748 Gailen Attachment C Sinm!e-Story Height Combining District (S) Overlay ZoDe .Guidelines The follow~Dg guidelines are intended to guide City staff and decisionmakers in the consideration of zone change requests for application of the Single-Story Height Combining District (S) overlay zone. For neighborhoods in which there are no single-story deed restrictions, or where such restrictions exist yet have not been strictly adhered to, applications are to be evaluated through more rigorous use of these guidelines. However, for those neighborhoods that contain and have been developed consistent with a single-story deed restriction, these guidelines are to be treated with a greater degree of flexibility. i.Level and Format of Owner SupDor~. An application for an (S) overlay zone map amendment should meet with "overwhelming" support by owners of affected properties. These owners must demonstrate, by providing documentation that includes a written list of signatures, an understanding that they are co- applicants in a zone map amendment request. ~pDroDriate Boundaries An application for an (S) overlay zone map amendment should be accompanied by a map indicating the address location of those owners who are co-applicants for the rezoning request. Boundaries Which may correspond with certain natura! or man-made features (i.e. roadways, waterways, tract boundaries, etc.) should define, an identifiable neighborhood or development. These boundaries will be recommended to the Planning Commission and .City Council by the City’s Zoning Administrator. 3.Prevailinq Single-Story Charact~K An area proposed for an (S) overlay zone map amendment should be of a prevailing single-story character where the vast majority of existing homes are single-story, thus limiting the number of structures rendered .noncomplying by the (S) overlay. Neighborhoods currently subject to sihgle-story deed restrictions should be currently deve!oped in a manner consistent with those deed restrictions. Furthermore, it is desirable that homes be similar in age, design and a : sguide, doc ~./~.~/93 Page 1 character, ensuring that residents of an area proposed for rezoning possess like desires for neighborhood preservation and face common home remodelingconstraints. 4.Moderate Lot Sizes In order to maintain equitable property development -rights Within an (S) overlay area compared to other sites within the R-I zone district, an area proposed for an (S) overlay zone map amendment should be characterized by moderate !or sizes with a generally consistent lotting pattern. A moderate lot size is to be defined as 7,000-8,000 square feet. a : sg~/ide, doc Page 2