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Home My WebLink About11/2/2021 Item 7b, Codron/Cohen - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: November 2, 2021 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Michael Codron, Community Development Director Rachel Cohen, Associate Planner VIA: Derek Johnson, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM 7b. - INTRODUCE AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 17 (ZONING REGULATIONS) OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE ADDING OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS CHAPTER 17.69 FOR QUALIFYING RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS Staff is providing this memo in response to inquiries received from Council Members requesting staff respond to correspondence received and provide clarification on the Objective Design Standards (ODS). 1. Please address the following comment received in a public correspondence about Downtown ODS: The following is required of all qualifying housing projects outside the Downtown Commercial Zone but not for those projects within the Downtown Commercial Zone: “Buildings three or more stories shall step -back the building mass a minimum of five (5) feet for fifty (50) percent of the building facade above the second story.” Staff Response: As noted in the staff report, the ODS will apply only to residential projects that qualify for streamlined, ministerial processing or that are a “use by right” residential project. Based on the requirements to be eligible for ministerial processing1 most Downtown projects will not qualify. Projects that meet the requirements for ministerial processing would be subject to the ODS as well as other standards in the Zoning Regulations. 1 SB 35 eligible developments must include 10 percent of the units designated as affordable at the moderate to very-low-income level (80% AMI), be on an infill site, comply with existing residential and mixed -use general plan or zoning provisions, use prevailing wage, and comply with other requirements. A “use by right” residential project is a residential project that includes at least 20 percent of the units as affordable to lower income households (low, very low, and extremely low). Item #7b. Page 2 The ODS does not include requirements for step-backs for buildings located within the Downtown Commercial (C-D) zone because zoning anticipates maximum build out of sites within this zone (zero setback requirements) and the ARC and Planning Commission determined that specifying the exact same upper floor step-backs for every Downtown building subject to the ODS was not desirable because it would go too far down the path of prescribing building design for all new buildings that qualify without consideration of specific site constraints or opportunities. If the City Council would like to add a requirement for step-backs within the C-D zone, staff recommends making this part of a future update to the ODS to allow for additional research and engagement with design professionals. 2. When were the Community Design Guidelines (CDG) last updated? Staff Response: The CDG were last updated in 2010. The Housing and Homelessness Major City Goal work program includes CDG updates associated with the Missing Middle Housing program and the Flexible Density program. Both of these projects are expected to be completed in Q3 of the 2022-23 Fiscal Year. 3. How does the ODS address overlook and privacy, especially for affordable housing residents and neighboring preexistent buildings? Staff Response: Privacy was a concern raised by the ARC and ODS Sections 17.69.020.B(10) and 17.69.030.B(14) were added and recommended by the Planning Commission. The requirement reads, Where windows are proposed within ten (10) feet of another building, the windows shall be offset horizontally at least 12 inches (edge to edge) or use clerestory windows, glass block or non - operable opaque windows so as not to have a direct line -of sight into adjacent units. In addition, the Zoning Regulations include: a. Minimum Interior Side and Rear Setbacks – these setbacks increase as the residential structure gets taller. Applies to structures within R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-4 zones; and b. Edge Conditions (Section 17.70.050) requires a buffer between low -density residential zones or open space areas and zones that permit development of higher intensity. Item #7b. Page 3 4. Is exterior color considered “subjective”? Could we set an “objective” color palette? Staff Response: It would be extremely challenging to set up an objective color palette unless the City Council wanted to significantly limit the number and range of colors that could be used on a building exterior. Using terms such as “colors like” or “colors similar to” requires that an individual make a judgement, so identifying specific allowable colors would be necessary. An alternative would be to prohibit specific colors by using a universal common color matrix. If the City Council would like to add a requirement for colors, staff recommends making this part of a future update to the ODS to allow for additional research and engagement with design professionals. 5. Can the ODS require windows? Staff Response: It would be difficult to require windows outside of what is required by the California Building Code (CBC). CBC requires that basements in dwelling units and every sleeping room below the fourth story shall have at least one operable window or exterior door opening approved for emergency escape and rescue. 6. Packet page 640, ODS Section 17.69.040.C(4) references “peak style racks.” This language should match the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) language “Peak Rack type rack.” Staff Response: Staff recommends that ODS Section 17.69.040.C(4) be amended to be consistent with the ATP and state: Short-term bicycle racks shall be Peak Rack type style racks. 7. Packet page 656, ODS Section 17.69.040.H(1) is unclear the mechanical equipment that should be screened. Is this for ground mounted equipment? Staff Response: Yes. Staff recommends that ODS Section 17.69.040.H(1) be amended to clarify the requirement is for ground mounted equipment only and state, All ground mounted mechanical and electrical equipment shall be located internally within the proposed buildings. If equipment cannot be located internally due to code requirements, it shall be screened using a combination of at least two of the following: paint color, landscaping, fencing, or walls consistent with other City standards. Item #7b. Page 4 8. Is there a minimum length for a “blank wall” that triggers the changes in treatment? (see packet page 648, ODS 17.69.020.D(1)). Staff Response: Staff reviewed the language of ODS Section 17.69.020.D(1) and recommends the following changes to provide clarity: Any wall of any length on a building without doors or windows Blank walls (facades without doors or windows) shall be fifty (50) feet or less in length. Blank walls of any length shall include the use of at least one of the following treatments: a. Utilize at least two (2) different materials. b. Utilize at least two (2) different paint colors. c. Incorporate offsets. Offsets shall vary in depth and/or direction of at least twelve (12) inches, or be a repeated pattern of offsets, recesses, or projections of similar depth along the length of the wall. d. Install landscaping that covers twenty-five (25) percent of the wall within ten (10) years. 9. ODS Sections 17.69.020.D(7d) and 17.69.030.D(1d) (packet pages 649 and 654) include a requirement for articulation by utilizing roof eaves. The requirement that gable faces do not need to provide an eave does not support the goal for building articulation and should be removed. Staff Response: Staff reviewed the language of ODS Sections 17.69.020.D(7d) and 17.69.030.D(1d) and recommends the requirement be amended as follows: Buildings shall be designed to reduce apparent mass by dividing façades into a series of smaller components. Components shall be distinguished from one another through two (2) or more of the following: a. Variations in the geometry or massing of the roof or variations in roof height of two (2) feet or more. b. Changes in wall plane of one (1) foot or more. c. Changes in texture, material, or surface colors. d. Provide a minimum two (2) foot eave on the front elevation. This requirement does not apply to gable faces. Item #7b. Page 5 10. Packet page 651, ODS Section 17.69.030.B(1) includes “high -quality” and should be removed per Planning Commission direction. Staff Response: Yes, “high quality” should have been removed from the ODS and staff recommends that it be removed consistent with Planning Commission direction as follows: Buildings located within the Downtown (C-D zone) shall use high-quality exterior materials chosen from the list below. a. Smooth or sand finished stucco b. Cut stone c. Rusticated block (cast stone) d. Precast concrete e. Face-brick f. Ceramic or porcelain tiles g. Fiber Cement board planks, panels, siding, board and bat, etc. (e.g., Hardi plank, Hardi panel) h. Wood plastic composite siding (e.g., Resysta products) i. Wood siding j. Metal paneling k. Corten steel paneling 11. The reference to clear glass should be removed from ODS Section 17.69.030.B(12) (packet page 653) since glass transparency is addressed in ODS Section 17.69.030.B(10). Staff Response: Staff reviewed the language of ODS Sections 17.69.030.B(12) and 17.69.030.B(10) and recommends that ODS Section 17.69.030.B(12) be amended as follows for clarity: Storefront windows shall use clear glass and sit above a base, commonly called a “bulkhead,” of eighteen (18) to thirty-six (36) inches in height. Bulkheads shall be designed as prominent and visible elements of the building facade and shall include the use of one or more of the following materials: ornamental glazed tile in deep rich hues, either plain or with patterns; dark or light marble panels; or pre - cast concrete.