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less than 6 feet above finished floor, the glazed portion of the windows must be of obscured glass. 4. The exterior stairway proposed to serve the accessory dwelling unit shall not be visible from the public right of way on the frontage abutting the front yard. 5. No balconies or upper-story decks shall be allowed for the accessory dwelling unit. b. Garage Conversions —Appearance from the Public Right-of-Way [see Exhibit A, PMC 18.106.060(C)(5)] New state laws make it easier to convert existing garages into ADUs because no replacement parking is required to be provided. In considering the aesthetic outcomes of these conversions, staff explored whether it would be preferable to require the garage door to remain, or to be removed and that wall refinished in a manner that blends into the rest of the home (possibly with a front door to the ADU). Although prominent garage doors are a feature that the City will often seek to visually minimize in new developments, they are nonetheless a common feature of most single-family homes and neighborhoods in Pleasanton. It is possible that removing garage doors altogether may make these homes seem out-of-place relative to their neighbors, or if a garage door is replaced by an ADU entry door, result in a single-family home appearing more like a duplex. If a garage door is left in place, suitable framing, insulation and interior finishes can be used to successfully convert the garage space to living space. At this time, staff recommends the choice to remove/refinish a garage-door wall, or leave the garage door in place, be left to the applicant subject to some objective standards (i.e. using materials and finishes to match the home). Further, irrespective of whether the garage door is replaced or not, and as mentioned above, the entrance to the ADU would be required to be located on the side or rear of the single-family residence, such that the home still appears as a single-family home from the public right-of-way. However, this topic may warrant discussion by the Planning Commission and thus is included as a discussion topic. DISCUSSION POINTS A. Does the Planning Commission have any questions or comments, in general, with the proposed application and interpretation of state law with respect to ADUs? B. Does the Planning Commission agree with staff's proposed objective standards for second story ADUs? C. Does the Planning Commission have a preference for the treatment of garage doors where the garage space is converted to an ADU? PUBLIC NOTICE Notification of this code amendment has been published in The Valley Times and was noted in the Pleasanton Weekly as an upcoming agenda item for the June 24, 2020, Planning Commission meeting. At the time this report was prepared, staff has not received comments regarding the proposed code amendments. Staff has, however, received numerous inquiries from the public, interested in ADUs and standards specific to Pleasanton. P20-0412, Accessory Dwelling Units Planning Commission 12 of 13 ith a multifamily development. Facades of the accessory dwelling unit that face neighboring properties with shared property lines may only have clerestory windows (i.e. with a window sill height at least 6 feet above finished floor). If strict application of the preceding requirements would not allow the unit to meet Building or Fire Code requirements for egress or ventilation and the windows facing neighboring properties that share property lines with the subject property are proposed where the sill height is P20-0412, Accessory Dwelling Units Planning Commission 11 of 13 3 y zoning districts include the RM and MU districts. The Central-Commercial (C-C) District also allows multifamily dwellings and thus in accordance with the new state law, must now also allow ADUs; JADUs would be allowed in existing single-family dwellings. P20-0412, Accessory Dwelling Units Planning Commission 3 of 13