Belmont moves to streamline permits for home additions

In one example cited by city staff, an applicant applied to expand a closet by 38 square feet and had to obtain a conditional use permit and Planning Commission approval since the project fell within a planned development district.

“Not only did they have to go through this process and wait to get on a Planning Commission hearing, they also had to expend an extra amount of costs for that application,” Senior Planning Rob Gill said during a council meeting.

With the new recommendations, ground-floor additions up to 500 square feet — rather than 399 square feet — could get approval from the community development director, and the zoning administrator could approve additions of any size as long as they meet objective standards, such as setback, height and floor-area-ratio requirements.

Mandated Planning Commission review would still be required for brand new single-family homes but not for additions of 900-square-foot or higher, as is currently the case.

With the new changes, planned development zoning would align with other residential zoning ordinances.

The zoning updates are part of a statewide trend aimed at streamlining the permit approval process, which can be time-consuming and costly for both developers and property owners. The state has passed a number of laws and bolstered enforcement efforts to ensure that cities are doing as much as they can to lessen red tape and speed up the construction process.

The City Council agreed with the proposal, which will go before the Planning Commission for review before final adoption.

“Anytime a project goes to the Planning Commission, it creates an additional delay, it creates an additional level of uncertainty for the applicant,” Councilmember Tom McCune said during a recent council meeting. “It frequently creates additional expenses because they have to pay their architects and engineers and planners to show up and testify at that hearing.”