HomeMy WebLinkAboutA002 - Memo dated January 18, 2018 with Commission Action Form CITY OF
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Department of Planning &Housing
Caring People
Quality Programs
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TO: Diane Voss, City Clerk
FROM: Eloise Sahlstrom, Planner
DATE: January 18, 2018
SUBJECT: Tek.t-7A-,nend—n ent for-Garage=Door=Widih`sl
The Planning and Zoning Commission took action on the above-mentioned amendment to the Zoning
Ordinance at its meeting of January 17, 2018.
hCityCounel wwil_1_he evsewing this proposed amendment=at its meetmg� f February 27,_201.8.
I have attached a copy of the Commission Action Form dated January 17, 2018.
Please contact me at extension 5400 if you have any questions regarding this agenda item.
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Attachment
S:\PLAN_SHR\Council Boards Commissions\PZ\Memo to Clerk Regarding Text Amendments to Council-Master.doc
1 i f
ITEM # 6
DATE 01/17/18
COMMISSION ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT RELATING TO MAXIMUM CUMULATIVE
GARAGE DOOR OPENING WIDTH
BACKGROUND:
On September 12, 2017, the City Council referred to staff an email from Shelby Ebel,
Chairperson of the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA), asking for review of the City's
27-foot maximum cumulative width requirement for garage doors. Ms. Ebel was
concerned about the standards from her experience on the ZBA and recent garage door
variance requests that had been denied.
On December 12, 2017, the City Council directed staff to prepare a text
amendment to increase the cumulative dimensional standard for garage door
opening width from twenty-seven (27) feet to thirty (30) feet width for single-
family homes and to allow under certain circumstances, additional garage door
width to exceed the maximum cumulative dimension when they are not generally
parallel to and viewable from the street.
History of Existing Regulation
The existing limitation on garage door opening width occurred in April 2010. The staff
report associated with the amendment indicates that some of the existing code
language (limit of a three-stall garage) was "unclear and interpretation of the stall limit
was problematic and difficult to enforce." The concern was expressed that the code
unintentionally restricted the number of interior parking spaces. As a result, the zoning
standard was amended to regulate garage sizes based upon the cumulative width of
garage door openings rather than the number of parking spaces within the garage. The
approach was intended to address aesthetic concerns rather than the number of
parking spaces.
The amended text allowed greater flexibility in the actual size of the garage interior,
while retaining the ability of a single-family residence to have a three-car garage. Given
that a standard single garage door size available from suppliers is nine (9) feet wide or
less, the amended text allowed a maximum twenty-seven (27) foot wide dimension.
Excerpt of current garage door width standard, Section 29.408(7)(a)(iii)c. .
Sec. 29.408. OTHER GENERAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.
(7) Requirements for Private Garages and Other Accessory Buildings.
(iii) Size.
c. In any Agricultural or Residential district the cumulative garage door width shall not
exceed twenty-seven (27) feet for a Single Family Dwelling or eighteen (18). feet per
dwelling unit for a Two Family Dwelling. Doors less than eight (8) feet in width, such as
for lawn and garden equipment, are exempt.
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Current Concern and Proposed Solution
Although the standard appears to be workable for most people, two variance requests
came before the Zoning Board of Adjustment during 2016-2017. One was for a second
garage not visible from a street and the other was for a three-door garage that would be
thirty (30) feet wide instead of twenty-seven (27) feet. Although each request was not
incompatible with the surroundings, neither could be considered a "hardship" and
therefore, the variances could not be granted.
Increasing the cumulative garage door opening width to thirty (30) feet for single-family
homes would allow wider three-car garage door designs. A thirty (30) foot width would
provide greater ease in entering and exiting of the garage and better accommodation of
larger, wider vehicles. Although larger doors would increase the visual dominance of the
garage when street-facing doors are visible from the street frontage, the increase is
insignificant given the entire frontage. Additionally, allowing a cumulative garage door
opening width of thirty (30) feet satisfies the issue brought forward with one of the
variance requests. Utility roll-up doors of less than eight (8) feet would continue to be
exempt from the calculation to total width.
The current standards also restrict single-family homes to no more than a three-car
garage door design regardless of lot configuration, placement of the garage on the lot,
or visibility of the garage from the street frontage. The current standard is applied the
same to all single-family lots and is inflexible for addressing larger lots or unique
situations where someone could accommodate additional garages, without impacting
the street frontage. Therefore, a second change to the standards is proposed to allow
for additional garage door openings for a home when they do not have a visual impact
on the design of the home as viewed from the street.
In December, Council directed that the regulations be amended to allow flexibility in the
placement of the garages when additional garage area is desired. As a tradeoff to
allowing the option of additional garages elsewhere on the site, Council directed staff to
prepare a standard that would then limit the appearance garage doors from the street.
The proposed standard is to allow only twenty (20) feet of garage door width located
parallel and visible from the adjoining street, when the total garage door width exceeds
thirty (30) feet. This option allows flexibility for larger sites or unique situations that
utilize alternative configurations of a side loading garage and solves the issue of
detached garages behind the primary structure or other issues where the garage can be
obscured from the street. However, if a home has a three-car garage facing the street,
they would not be able to take advantage of this new allowance.
In addition to adjusting the garage door width standard, staff proposes to consolidate all
of the garage standards together and add language that clarifies that alley access
standards from other parts of the zoning ordinance apply to all garages. The alley
access standards are a setback of a minimum of eight feet or more than 20 feet. This
allows for the minimum backup maneuvering area needed to convenient access to a
garage and to ensure if a vehicle is parked in the driveway they would not overhang into
an alley. These standards exist in other parts of the zoning ordinance, but are not
restated in the accessory garage section of Article IV.
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Proposed Text Amendment
The proposed text amendment divides the text discussing single-family dwellings in
Section 29.408(7)(iii)c. from the text discussing two-family dwellings by adding a
subsection d., and would rea
Sec. 29.408. OT GENEREVELOPMENT STANDARDS.
(7) Requirement or Private�Garaes erAccesso Buildin
(iii) Size.
c. In any Agricultural or Residential district the cumulative garage door opening width
shall not exceed thirty (30) feet for a Single Family Dwelling, unless the garage door
openings generally parallel to and viewable from the street are limited to no more than
twenty (20) feet in cumulative opening width with remaining garage door openings
located nearly perpendicular to the street or 100% obscured from view (such as in the
rear yard). Doors less than eight (8) feet in width, such as for lawn and garden
equipment, are exempt.
d. Two Family Dwellings are limited to a garage door width of twenty (20) feet per
dwelling unit. Doors less than eight (8) feet in width, such as for lawn and garden
equipment, are exempt.
Additionally, Staff proposes consolidating the ordinance language discussing rear yards
within "(7) Requirements for Private Garages and Other Accessory Buildings" by
removing the language under the subheading, "(v) Special Setbacks" and moving it to
the heading, "(i) Location within Setbacks."Alley access is also addressed.
The full text of subsection (7) Requirements for Private Garages and Other Accessory
Buildings, as proposed with strike thru/underlining is included as Attachment 'A'.
The proposed text amendment provides a great deal of flexibility for those that want
additional garage area. The proposed changes do not change typical construction
requirements for a standard three-car garage, and therefore are not disruptive to the
homebuilder industry- Three-car garages may continue to be built exactly as they are
today.
The amendment not only allows additional width to the garage door standard, but also
solves the issue of detached garages behind the primary structure or other issues
where the garage is not visible from the street. It would also give relief to side-loaded
garages where garage doors do not face the street. The primary outcome from the
proposed changes are the possibility of four-car garages which were not previously
permissible, but could not be permitted under-alternative configurations such as side-
loaded or rear yard garages.
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ALTERNATIVES:
1. The Planning & Zoning Commission can recommend that the City Council adopt the
proposed amendments regarding garage and accessory building standards as
described in Attachment 'A'.
2. The Planning & Zoning Commission can recommend alternative language for the
proposed text amendment.
3. The Planning and Zoning Commission can request additional information and defer
making a recommendation.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff believes that the proposed amendment is a reasonable revision to the garage door
opening width standard and would permit the wider garage doors requested in each of
the two variance cases during 2016-2017. Staff considered other options for limits on
fagade percentage for garage width or a design review process, but these options would
add additional review steps that are not currently part of the standard building permit
review process. The proposed changes are relatively straight forward and easy to
administer by staff. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the Department of Planning
and Housing that the Planning and Zoning Commission act in accordance with
Alternative #1.
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Attachment `A'
Sec.29.408. OTHER GENERAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.
(7)Requirements for Private Garages and Other Accessory Buildings.
(a)The following requirements apply to private garages and accessory buildings in Agricultural,
Residential and Hospital/Medical districts:
(i)Location within Setbacks.
a.No detached garage or accessory building is allowed in the front yard, or within the side yard
setback adjacent to public right-of-way in the case of corner lots.
b.A detached garage or accessory building wholly or partially within the side yard shall meet all
the same side setbacks as required for the principal building except in the case of a corner lot. In
the case of a corner lot a garage or accessory building may be placed within 3 feet of the side lot
lines, provided the garage is set back a minimum of 25 feet from the abutting streets and
provided the garage or accessory building is located in the side yard that does not abut the front
yard where the principal building is addressed.
c.A detached garage or accessory building wholly within the rear yard shall be a minimum of 3
feet from the abutting property line.
d. In cases in which the rear yard of a lot abuts the front yard of an adjoining lot, a detached
garage or accessory building in the rear yard shall be not less than 6 feet from the adjoining
property line for the distance of the required front yard setback on the adjoining lot.
e. In no case shall a detached garage or an accessory building in the rear yard be placed closer
than 15 feet to any lot line that abuts a street.
(ii) Height.
a.A detached garage or accessory building on the same lot with a 1 story principal building shall
not exceed the height of that principal building.
b. Detached garages or accessory buildings on the same lot with a principal building that is taller
than 1 story shall not exceed 80% of the height of the principal building or 20 feet,whichever is
lower.
(iii) Size.
a.Detached garages and accessory buildings in the rear yard shall not occupy more than 25%of
the rear yard.
b. The maximum gross floor area shall not exceed 900 square feet for a detached garage or
accessory building/structure to a Single Family Dwelling or 1,200 square feet for accessory uses
to a Two Family Dwelling.
c. In any Agricultural or Residential district the cumulative garage door opening width shall not
exceed twenty seve 2-74 thi 30 feet for a Single Family Dwelling, unless the garage door
openings generally parallel to and viewable from the street are limited to no more than twenty
(20) feet in cumulative opening width with remaining garage door openings located nearly
perpendicular to the street or 100%obscured from view(such as in the rear) en
(,8) feet rov awelfi,„g„„it for- ^ T,. Family Dwelling. Doors less than eight feet in width, such
as for lawn and garden equipment, are exempt.
d. Two Family Dwellings are limited to a garage door width of twenty(20) feet per dwelling
unit.Doors less than eight(8) feet in width, such as for lawn and garden equipment are exempt.
(iv) General Requirements.
a. Driveways to streets. The driveway leading from a street to the entrance of a detached or
attached garage shall be at least 20 feet long measured from the property line.
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b. Driveways to alleys. The driveway leading from an alley to the entrance of a detached or
attached garage shall be at least 8 feet from the alley or a minimum of 20 feet.
c.No detached garage or accessory building shall contain habitable space and/or a bathroom,
except for recreational uses requiring plumbing such as a pool house.
d. The construction of a detached garage or accessory building shall not precede the construction
of the principal building on the same lot.
(Y) Speeial Setl.aeks
a. In eases in whieh the rear yard of a!at abuts the fient yar-d ef an adjoining ,
garage
b
b. In ne ease shall a detaehed gar-age or-an aersesser-5,building in the rear yar-d be plaeed eloser
than 15 feet to aRy lat line that abuts a street.
(b) The following requirements apply to private garages and accessory buildings to legally
nonconforming Single Family and Two Family Dwellings in Commercial and Industrial
Districts:
(i)No detached garage or accessory building is permitted in the front yard.
(ii)A detached garage or accessory building is permitted in the side or rear yard on the same lot
with a Single Family or Two Family Dwelling in Commercial Districts, provided it maintains the
same side and rear yard setbacks that a principal building of a commercial nature would be
required to maintain.
(iii)A detached garage or accessory building is permitted in the side or rear yard on the same lot
with a Single Family or Two Family Dwelling in an Industrial District, provided the same side
and rear yard setbacks for a permitted structure in the district are maintained.
(c) When a special use permit is required for an institutional use, garages and accessory
buildings/structures shall be exempt from that requirement, if the accessory structure does not
exceed 900 square feet. Garages and accessory structures for an institutional use exceeding 900
square feet require approval of a special use permit.
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