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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA004 - Staff Report r r r 1 STAFF REPORT Residential Densities for Suburban Residential Development Background Land Use Policy Plan Background The Land Use Policy Plan as originally proposed by the consultant, RM Plan Group, called for all new residential development to occur in the form of a Village. This approach was put forth because it was asserted that the Village Residential approach to development was the preferred alternative in contrast to the conventional pattern of development that has been occurring for some time. As the development of the Land Use Policy Plan was coming to completion, concern was expressed that the Village Residential alternative might not be universally accepted and thus the conventional patterns of development would still be needed. As a result of this concern, a significant adjustment to the Plan was proposed and approved by the City Council. This adjustment provided for conventional residential development in an alternative that is called Suburban Residential. Zoning Ordinance/Density Background As time was devoted to developing the zoning regulations that would serve to implement the Plan, attention shifted to how the Suburban Residential model would serve to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Land Use Policy Plan to the same or similar degree as the Village Residential model. Staff met with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce Land Use Task Force and the Neighborhood Coalition. As a result of these meetings, both the Chamber group and the Neighborhood group agreed on the following points: • Both Village Residential development and Suburban Residential development had positive and negative characteristics; and • The option of either Village or Suburban Residential development for areas in "new lands" should be the choice of the property owner; and • If the owner were to choose the Suburban Residential option the standards of the Suburban Residential model should contain many of the positive features of Village Residential. As a result of this input from these organizations, staff put forth the following policy proposal: Regardless of which of the two development options (Village or Suburban) a property owner chooses, the basic goals and objectives (Vision) of the Land Use Policy Plan should be accomplished by either option. 2 The most important goals to be accomplished by either land use alternative include: • Increased density • Improved pedestrian and vehicular connectivity • Increased open space areas for social interaction • Improved landscape buffers between different land uses Data from the Land Use Policy Plan reveals that the overall density of residential dwelling units of all types (not including group quarters) was approximately 5.6 dwelling units per net acre. The Land Use Policy Plan was adopted with a goal to maintain the existing pattern of development and thereby maintain a density of approximately 5.6 dwelling units per acre. (On page 37, the Plan actually states 4.5 dwelling units, but staff believes this is a typographical error.) The endorsement of the goal of increased density leads to a lengthy analysis of density characteristics of areas zoned (at that time R1-6 and R1-10) within the current City limits. This analysis revealed that the single family detached and two family development patterns in the city have experienced a decline in density over the time period from 1908 to 1997. The composite overall single-family and two family densities have ranged from a high of 4.64 dwelling units per net acre in 1928 and 1938 to a low of 3.92 dwellings per net acre in 1997. There has been a steady gradual decline in densities since 1938. The Suburban Residential floating zone regulation was originally proposed to include a minimum average net density of 4 dwelling units per net acre for single-family and two family dwellings. In January of 1999, the City Council adjusted the net density requirement to 3.75 dwelling units per net acre (see attached Resolution). The Issue The developers of the Uthe Farm are in the process of designing a subdivision for this property under the newly adopted Suburban Residential Floating Zone regulation. The Suburban residential regulation contains the minimum density requirement of 3.75 dwelling units per net acre for single-family and two family dwellings. This is the first subdivision that is being designed that is attempting to meet this requirement. The developers have met several times with City staff to review the requirements and have prepared numerous versions of a design layout for this property. The subdivision layout that is in the process of being finalized for submittal to the City for review and decision does not meet the minimum density requirement of 3.75 dwelling units per net acre. 3 The following table represents the lot pattern that is being proposed with the corresponding lot sizes in relation to the requirement of 3.75 dwelling per net acre: Proposed Lot Size Distribution Uthe Farm Subdivision Lot Size Range (square foot) Number of Lots 8,000 to 12,000 145 approx. 12,000 to 18,000 200 approx. Total 345 approx. [In order for a lot to meet the minimum density requirement of 3.75 dwelling units per acre, the size of the lots that contribute to meeting this average density requirement must be 11,616 square feet in size or smaller(43560/3.75).] Based on the lot configuration and the overall layout design of the proposed subdivision, the distribution of the lots that would be necessary to meet the requirement of 3.75 dwelling units per net acre would be as shown in the following table. Potential Lot Size Distribution Meeting Density requirement Uthe Farm Subdivision Lot Size Range Number of Lots 8,000 to 12,000 365 approx. 12,000 to 18,000 22 approx. Total 387 approx. It is important for the City Council to understand that it is possible to subdivide the Uthe Farm in residential lots providing for single-family homes and meet the 3.75 average minimum net density requirement. The issue is that the developers of this property believe that there is a need for more large lots to meet market demands and, therefore, meeting these market demands results in the subdivision not complying with the density requirement. There are several questions (Visions) that must be confirmed by the City Council before a resolution of this issue can be obtained. These include: 1. Does the City Council still have a firm commitment to maintaining a minimum density requirement? 2. Is a minimum density requirement of 3.75 dwelling units on average per net acre the appropriate requirement? 3. Should the minimum net density requirement be limited to single-family and two family dwelling types? 4 Direction Sought from Council As stated earlier, it is possible for the subdivision of the Uthe Farm to occur and meet the minimum density requirement set forth in the Suburban Residential regulation. The answers to these three questions will provide sufficient direction for staff to make any needed changes to the Suburban Residential regulations and enable the continuation of the process relative to this first subdivision under the new requirements. 1. Does the City Council still have a firm commitment to maintaining a minimum density requirement? If the City Council believes that a minimum density requirement is necessary as a goal to be accomplished in the Land Use Policy Plan, then some number must be included in the regulations (Suburban Residential and Village Residential) that will bring this goal to reality. Any density requirement endorsed by the Council should not be arbitrary. Rather, the City Council should establish this minimum density based on a vision for a desired development pattern. Models or indicators of an acceptable pattern could include the following: -Northridge Subdivision -Hillside Subdivision -Bentwood Subdivision -City's historical Average -City's previous five-year average 2. Is a minimum density requirement of 3.75 dwelling units on average per net acre the appropriate requirement? If the City Council believes that the 3.75 minimum density requirement as already determined is the appropriate density, then no further changes need to be made to the regulation and the new subdivision must be designed to meet that requirement. It has already been determined that this requirement can be met with a different lot size distribution, although the developers emphasize that the current requirement will not yield the amount of large lots that are currently in demand. 3. Should the minimum net density requirement be limited to single-family and two family dwelling types? In developing this policy, it was understood that it would be easier for a developer to meet a minimum density requirement if other types of more densely developed housing units were included in the density calculation. There was a desire expressed to influence more efficient use of land, or higher density, for lower 5 density areas as well. Therefore, the minimum density proposals were limited to single and two-family dwelling units. The City Council needs to decide if the minimum density requirement should be limited to single-family and two family housing. As an alternative, other housing unit types like single-family attached townhomes (that could be owner occupied) could also be included among the dwelling types that can contribute to meeting the density requirement. If it is determined that townhomes should be included in the minimum density calculation, this would require a change in the Suburban Residential regulation. This change would permit single-family attached dwellings in the Suburban Residential Low Density (SRLD) Zone to be a permitted use which would serve to contribute to the density requirement. If this change were implemented, the proposed Uthe development would reflect a density of 3.9 units per acre rather than the 3.3 units per acre being proposed if only single or two-family units are counted. Conclusions The City Council had established two objectives when the Suburban Residential Floating Zone and minimum density standards were first included in the zoning ordinance: 1) reduce urban sprawl and 2) allow for large lot developments like Northridge. After reviewing the Uthe Farm development which represents the first application of these requirements, it is not clear whether both objectives are being met to the satisfaction of the City Council. In order to meet the 3.75 density requirement there would only be 22 "large lots" out of 387 total lots in the project area. If this development is representative of future Suburban Residential development patterns, then the staff would question whether a sufficient number of large lots can be developed under the current density standard. At this time, Staff believes the preferred strategy for meeting the Council's dual objectives is to modify the Zoning Ordinance to include single family attached townhomes in Suburban Residential Low Density (SRLD) Zone in New Lands areas. An ancillary benefit of this potential change in the Suburban Residential regulation is the likelihood of the creation of a greater variety of residential housing types within a subdivision which is another important goal of the City Council. However, by adding this change it should be understood that there might be a subdivision that could be totally comprised single family attached units.