HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/27/2018 Item 11, Codron
City of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum
DATE: November 26, 2018
TO: City Council
PREPARED BY: Doug Davidson, Deputy Director
FROM: Michael Codron, Community Development Director
VIA: Derek Johnson, City Manager DJJ
SUBJECT: Council Agenda Correspondence – November 27, 2018 Item #11
A Councilmember had the following questions on the follow-up items to the Zoning Regulations
Update (Item #11 on agenda):
1) Tiny Homes – Why is lot coverage and tiny homes’ size being determined by a State rule
about RVs? Please provide some examples of various sizes of tiny homes (250, 300, 350, 400
sq.ft.) to portray their actual size.
The Planning Commission recommended 400 sq. ft.as the maximum size of a tiny home on wheels
to provide more flexibility than 300-350 sq. ft. and to be consistent with State law, specifically the
Health and Safety Code (Section 18010) which establishes 400 sq. ft. as the maximum size of a
tiny home on wheels. The Council may certainly reduce the maximum size of a tiny home on
wheels. Attached is an example of a 371 sq. ft. tiny home on wheels showing pictures of the unit
and its floor plan. Staff will provide more size examples of tiny homes in the presentation on
th
November 27.
2) Tiny Homes – how would an inspection verify that a unit is safe for electrical, water, and
wastewater – what would they be looking for specifically?
The inspector will check the electrical wiring for any damage or fraying and can run a GFI
(Ground Fault Circuit) test to make sure the electrical system is protected from sending electric
shocks from faults in the wiring. The inspector will verify the security and safety of the hose
connections for water and sewer and check for any evidence of water leaks.
3) Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking Stations – Given our knowledge of how fast we are moving
to more EVs, are the proposed standards enough? Should we require more?
The City Climate Action Planning team, led by the Sustainability Manager, reviewed what other
cities in California are requiring and met several times to find the balance between moving toward
the future with electric vehicles and not being too burdensome on housing production. Many cities
have no requirements for EV parking and the City’s proposal is in line with the cities in California
that do require EV parking. The City is on the forefront of requiring the EV capable spaces as not
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many cities have yet taken this approach. The Staff and the Planning Commission believed the
proposed EV parking requirements were a bold move for climate action planning, particularly
since this is the first foray into this type of regulation. The EV capable requirement greatly
increases the possibilities to provide and encourage EV parking. The requirement is not too
burdensome on development since the conduit for future EV hook-up can be installed while the
parking lot and associated utilities are being constructed. The Council could require more EV
parking at future annual Zoning Regulations Updates to further implement the Climate Action
Plan.
4) Downtown Overlay Zone - Are we going to lose critical opportunities for more housing by
bundling the Downtown Overlay zone into the flexible density question? Will a great opportunity
be lost by this delay for getting some additional housing in the Upper Monterey downtown area?
Staff and the Planning Commission recommended bundling the Downtown Overlay zone (the
Commercial Retail (C-R) properties in the Downtown Core north of Santa Rosa) with the
Downtown flexible density program for further environmental review. The Overlay zone could be
separated, but is more efficient to study the whole Downtown Core including the area north of
Santa Rosa for potential environmental impacts. The flexible density proposal would cover the
entire Downtown Core area (flexible density as proposed being units of 600 sq. ft. or less would
not be subject to density standards as long as other development standards are satisfied).
While the environmental study is being prepared, properties in the C-R zone on Monterey north of
Santa Rosa can develop at the same density as the Downtown Commercial core (36 units per acre)
and up to 45’ in height (v. 50’ in the Downtown Commercial core). The mixed-use project at
Monterey and Toro was recently approved at these development maximums. Staff will continue to
work with applicants on creative ways to increase housing production downtown until the
environmental review is completed.
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