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5. Additional Questions from Council and the Public <br />5.1. Which properties would be subject to the Initiative; if new hillside <br />regulation`s were adopted, to which properties would they apply? <br />The Initiative does not limit the areas of the City to which it would apply and therefore <br />the Initiative's Policy 12.3 would generally apply to those properties within 100 vertical <br />feet of the ridgeline, as well as those properties with hillside slopes of 25% or greater. <br />(See Table 1 and Exhibit C.) In certain areas of the City, however (for example <br />properties west of Foothill Road and on certain properties within the Vineyard Avenue <br />Corridor Specific Plan), there already exist hillside regulations and standards. This <br />Policy 12.3 therefore would be in addition to those regulations and standards and, as a <br />general principle, the more restrictive provisions would apply. <br />Notwithstanding that the Initiative has city wide application, the Initiative does include <br />language exempting housing developments of 10 or fewer units on property that as of <br />January 1, 2007 was a "legal parcel". <br />As to that portion of Policy 12.3 that addresses subdividing legal parcels, applying usual <br />methods of statutory construction and interpretation, it would apply only to those hillside <br />properties with greater than 25% slope or within 100 vertical feet of a ridgeline. Amore <br />expansive (but more strained) reading of the restriction against splitting a legal parcel to <br />approve more than 10 housing units, however, could result in the application of the <br />restriction City-wide. (See Section 5.16.) <br />The Initiative's Policy 15.3, defining housing unit, does clearly have City-wide <br />application. <br />If the Initiative were adopted and, subsequently, new hillside regulations promulgated <br />consistent with the Initiative, it would need to be determined which properties would be <br />subject to such new regulations. That is, since the proposed Initiative does not specify or <br />limit the hillside areas where it applies, consideration is needed whether certain areas that <br />are already covered by hillside regulations or policies22 should be exempt from additional <br />new hillside regulations. <br />It would need to be determined whether any new hillside regulations should apply <br />equally to the entire City. This could be perceived as the fairest, least complicated <br />manner in which to create and implement hill area development regulations. New <br />regulations based on the Initiative could be developed to supplement existing policies and <br />ordinances, as well as to clarify portions of the Initiative. Opportunities for clarification <br />could be addressed through development and implementation of appropriate regulations <br />if the Initiative is adopted. <br />zz For example, the hill area west of Foothill Road is covered by the West Foothill Road Corridor Overlay <br />District and by the General Plan policies implementing Measure F; and properties within the Vineyard <br />Avenue Con: idor Specific Plan area designated Hillside Residential District have special hillside <br />development standards and guidelines. <br />12 <br />