Redwood City considers residential design guidelines

“I find trying to create design guidelines for single-family homes to be one of the most difficult things I think you could ever try to undertake,” said Niles Tanakatsubo, a member of the Architectural Advisory Committee. 

Commissioners and committee members were asked to weigh in on the proposed priorities for the guidelines, how the document should be organized, how neighborhood patterns should be identified and to what extent maintained, along with other general feedback. 

Calling the document a “great start,” members largely agreed guidelines should leave room for flexibility, allowing neighborhoods to grow with the needs of residents. Planning Commissioner Michael Smith, who will be joining the City Council next month, called for guidelines to provide a forward-looking lens on residential development, adding that he felt it was “only backward looking.”  

By focusing on neighborhood building patterns, some members raised concerns that homes would eventually look the same, suggesting homeowners be required to meet a lower threshold of similarity between fewer neighboring homes. Design patterns could be found in rooflines, garage designs, street-facing volumes, landscaping and outdoor living areas. 

And while staff listed diversity and equity in design as priorities, permitting architectural differences, committee members and commissioners felt the sentiment should be expanded to include residents as well. Planning Commissioner Rick Hunter noted a guideline requiring the highest quality materials be sourced could be limiting for some homeowners looking to expand and Smith called guidelines onerous. 

“I really believe that the onerous nature of these guidelines do not create the ability to create equity and diversity within our city,” said Smith. “There are going to be parts of the city that are going to have to embrace more multi-family living situations in their borders.” 

Alternatively, Planning Commissioner Ernie Schmidt said he felt the document worked to pay respect to historical building designs still maintained in the city. He suggested the city should attempt to strike a balance between those who want to preserve various architectural styles with 

“Since we got into the thick of this in the last few years we’ve seen a lot of comparisons like between a watermelon and an orange and I’d rather see more of an orange and maybe a grapefruit,” said Schmidt, noting those who worked on the city’s 2010 General Plan aimed to respect the legacy of various neighborhoods. 

William Chui, the city’s senior planner on the project, Anna McGill, the principal planner, and Monica Szydlik, a consultant with Lisa Wise Consulting, Inc., noted the advisory bodies were also being asked what, if any, neighborhood patterns should be preserved. 

On determining what the area of comparison should be for determining neighborhood character, members voiced various levels of support for referencing street blocks, using a 300-foot-radius or observing five homes on either side of the structure. Some of the dozen officials agreed homes across the street should be considered while others raised questions on how corner homes would be assessed. 

The advisory groups largely disagreed with a staff recommendation that second-story additions be built at 75% of the floor level, noting some architectural styles like Victorian homes look appealing with larger second floors. The suggested reduced addition was meant to remedy community concerns for larger homes encroaching on the privacy or neighbors and blocking sunlight. Members instead suggested massing and setbacks could more efficiently address those concerns. 

Through the study session, planning staff was directed to pressure test how some of the guidelines would function under real circumstances and to return for an additional group study session at a later date. A final Residential Design Guidelines document would then be brought back to the Planning Commission and later to the City Council for a final decision in 2021. 

Once approved, the document would conclude the city’s over two-year process in evaluating single-family home projects. In 2018, the city adopted guiding principles for neighborhood compatibility and in 2019, the council adopted a Floor Area Ratio ordinance limiting residential development to 3,000 square feet or 45% of the area lot size, whichever is greater. 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com 

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