PC 041311 - Laserfiche WebLink

Commissioner Pentin referred to massing and size and asked Mr. Cunningham whether 1,800 square feet will suit their needs. Mr. Cunningham stated that the proposed house is a 1,862-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath home; the other house was at 1,200 square feet with one bedroom. He indicated that they have a son, and a daughter and grandson who will visit, and he wants to be able to use at least one bedroom and a pull out couch when they visit. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. Commissioner Pearce referred to the points made about the purpose of the FAR and she asked Mr. Dolan to speak to the purpose of an FAR. Mr. Dolan explained that FAR is a crude measurement of building intensity and mass, and there is a tendency to rely on it probably too much. He stated that it gives some indication of the mass of the building space relative to the land area, and it is also a reflection of the intensity of a use on a site. He noted that sometimes it has limited usefulness; for example, garage space is exempted from FAR which sometimes defeats its purpose. He noted that that one could have the same FAR on a piece of property designed one way and would have a completely different look in terms of mass if designed another way. Commissioner Olson inquired how FAR relates to mass and whether it more truly relates to footprint. Mr. Dolan replied that it relates to total floor area. Commissioner Pentin noted that front yard setback was originally 23 feet and now it is 20 feet. He inquired where 23 feet came from and if it was it established as such for many years or if this is something the City just wants to do in order to push the house farther back from the street. Mr. Dolan replied that he did not know the evolution or history behind this change and he referred the question to Steve Otto. Mr. Otto replied that the Municipal Code had a 20-foot front yard setback and he understands that given cars were getting larger, the City bumped the setback an additional three feet in order to handle these larger vehicles. Commissioner Pentin noted that side yard separations have also been reduced from ten feet to eight feet and asked Mr. Otto if this is something that was also set in the past. Mr. Otto replied that he does not recall the actual evolution or thought behind setting 10 feet between two one-story homes and 17 feet between one-story and two-story homes. PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MINUTES, April 13, 2011 Page 10 of 19