SR 05:335 - Laserfiche WebLink

The Department of Housing and Community Development has determined that units can be counted towards the City's Regional Housing Need if they meet the Census definition ofa "housing unit", which is as follows: "A house, an apartment, a mobile home or trailer, a group of rooms, or a single room occupied as separate living quarters, or if vacant, intended for occupancy as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live separately from any other individuals in the building and which have direct access from outside the building or through a common hall." This definition would appear to be consistent with the continuing care retirement community units, other than the skilled nursing beds and the assisted livingIPersonal Care RCFE rooms. Regarding the affordability level of the Staples Ranch units, HCD would generally count these as affordable only to above-moderate-income households, in the absence of any specific data related to housing cost. Definition of "gross developable acres": Under the 1996 General Plan, residential densities for properties zoned Planned Unit Development (PUD), which includes most of the remaining undeveloped residentially-designated properties, are calculated based on the number of "gross developable acres". As defined in the General Plan Land Use Element, "gross developable acres" includes all privately owned acreage within a parcel and excludes all publicly-owned facilities (e.g. City-owned parks, flood control channels, and public school sites) or such sites planned to be purchased by a public agency. Acreage to be devoted to publicly-owned facilities as part of a project (e.g. roadways, parks and trails) shall be included as "gross developable acres" unless such acreage is rendered undevelopable by other General Plan provisions. The concern is that this definition of gross developable acres includes property that may be prone to landslides, is excessively sloped, or is otherwise unsuitable for development. The General Plan does not address the calculation of density for residentially designated land that is not zoned Planned Unit Development. Residential density on land that is regulated by the standard R -I zoning district is controlled by minimum lot sizes and dimensions, and public street dedication requirements. In addition, section 18.84.040 of Chapter 18.84 (Site, Yard, Bulk, Usable Open Space and Landscaping Regulations) effectively reduces the density of hillside sites zoned R-I, by increasing lot size on slopes. It should be noted that very few of the remaining undeveloped parcels are zoned R -I. According to the Public Safety Element of the General Plan, areas prone to landslides, slope instability, or with slopes of25 percent or greater are generally designated on the General Plan Map as Public Health and Safety. This designation allows no development other than one single family home on lots of existing record as of September 16, 1986 which meet City requirements for access, public safety, building site and architectural design. In practice, because a detailed, parcel-by-parcel analysis of these conditions is not feasible for a General Plan update, some SR 05:335 Page 3 of9