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<br />. <br /> <br />ordinances to govern the approval process for second units, but no local jurisdiction is given <br />the authority to prohibit completely the construction of second units. The State Government <br />Code reauires local jurisdictions which do not adopt their own second unit ordinances to <br />grant a conditional use permit for the creation of a second unit if the second unit complies <br />with a Slate-mandated list of nine requirements, (please refer to Exhibit B, attached, for the <br />complete wording of the State Government Code for second units), including the following <br />one: <br /> <br />.Any construction shall corlform to height, setback, lot coverage, architeauru1 review, <br />sire plan review, fees, charges, and other zoning requirements generally applicob1e to <br />residential construction in the zone in which the property is located.. {Seaiort <br />65852.2 (b) (7)] <br /> <br />That portion of Section 65852.2 (b) which Mr. Raber feels justifies his request to place the <br />second unit outside of the building envelope ("No local ordinance, policy or regulation shall <br />be the basis for denial of a building permit or use permit... .), occurs after the list of Dine <br />conditions with which every second unit must comply in order for a jurisdiction to be able to <br />approve it. <br /> <br />ii... City Ordinance <br /> <br />The City of Pleasanton has not adopted its own ordinance to govern the construction or <br />approval of second units. Therefore, the City utilizes the conditional use permit process <br />afforded to it by the State Government Code to review and approve second units, whether <br />attached or detached to the main structure. As part of the review process, staff and the <br />Planning Commission evaluate the proposed unit to ensure that the unit is architectuI3l1y <br />compatible with the existing structure and the surrounding properties, that parking for the <br />second unit is provided, and to ensure that (as with any other addition to a home or <br />accessory structure), adjacent neighbors would not be unduly impacted by the locatioo of <br />windows or the additional parking space required for the second unit. In accordance with <br />State law, the City often applies a standard set of "second unit" conditions of approval, such <br />as requiring that the property owner live in at least one of the units. <br /> <br />All second units attached to an existing residence or constructed as part of a new residence <br />must meet all zoning requirements for main structures in that zoning district. For enmple, a <br />second unit to be attached to an existing single-family home in the R-I-6,500 zoning district <br />must meet all the same setback, height, floor area ratio, parking provisions and other <br />requirements of that zoning district which would apply normally to the main structure.. <br /> <br />The City views detached second units as a combination of an accessory structure and a main <br />structure, since the second unit generally is subordinate to the main residence but fwx:tions <br />as a residence, rather than an ancillary use such as a garden shed or pool house. 1berefore, <br />the City routinely has required that detached second units meet the height restrictions of <br /> <br />-3- <br />