February 12, 2024
CITY COUNCIL
SB 9 Development Standards
Revisions
RECOMMENDATION
2 Staff recommends Council:
Adopt the attached Resolution
(Attachment A) modifying the
objective design standards for
development pursuant to
California Senate Bill 9 (SB 9, aka
Housing Opportunity and More
Efficiency (HOME) Act SB 9
SB 9 generally allows up to four units on
existing single-family zoned lots or split
across newly created lots
SB 9 & DESIGN STANDARDS DECEMBER 2021
3 • Council approved interim objective design standards in December 2021 and:
o Directed work on a permanent ordinance
o Inclusion of Eichler guidelines that could be used for objective standards • Objective design standards are used to review SB 9 projects by converting key elements from the IR Guidelines and Palo Alto Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines • SB 9 projects are reviewed administratively and not subject to ARB, PTC or Council review
SB 9 ORDINANCE & DESIGN STANDARDS 2023
4 • May 2023: Council codified the interim ordinance into the Palo Alto Municipal Code • In Spring and Fall 2023, ARB reviewed the standards over the course of six public meetings • Staff met with a focus group of applicants in late summer and fall of 2023 and the City’s consulting architect provided input and attended ARB hearings; the ARB found:
o Some of the design standards were overly restrictive
o Multiple standards intersected with other standards creating overlapping regulations o The standards lacked flexibility or design options for certain details, such as window different types of window trims or window configuration o The privacy standards seemed adequate
SB 9 DESIGN STANDARDS - REVISIONS
5 • The proposed changes will:
o Reduce objective design standards from 64 to 19 for all projects o Retain 20 that apply to some projects
• The revisions were and are still based on IR guidelines for privacy, mass, and streetscape, including Eichler context; re-ordered in relation to project components • Elimination of redundant provisions or overlapping regulations and • Improvement to the overall clarity for staff and applicants • Better convey design intent and allow design flexibility EXAMPLE OF REVISED STANDARD:
A1: FRONT SETBACK Where the
contextual front yard setback does
not apply, the front setback shall
be no less than the average front
setback of the homes on lots to
either side of the subject lot, up to
a maximum of 25 feet. Otherwise,
the zoning minimum front setback
or special setback would still
apply.
Applicants whose projects deviate from the ODS may submit an IR application for review of two-story homes and second-floor additions (appealable to Council) 6 EXAMPLE DAYLIGHT PLANE (IR):
EICHLERS
• Garage
location
• Garage as
the one-
story form
• Rooflines
• Materials
• Entries
7 AMY FRENCH
Chief Planning Official
[email protected]
(650) 329-2336
EMILY KALLAS
Planner
[email protected]
(650) 617-3125