San Carlos scopes new single-home design standards

“We want consistency across the board and to also have expectations in place that people can rely on, so that’s a big driver in why staff likes these objective standards,” Assistant Community Development Director Andrea Mardesich said during Monday’s meeting.

Councilmembers largely supported the proposal but made a few last-minute changes to how projects will be publicly noticed and the process for resolving disputes on whether the project meets the objective standards. Rather than requiring a resident or developer to hold a public meeting with neighbors before submitting plans to the city, the council agreed the city should be the one to notify residents and facilitate community input.

After being notified, neighbors will have 21 days to provide feedback instead of the 14 days initially proposed. The resident or developer will have to publish a sign of the official project once plans have been submitted to the city.

If the project abides by all objective design standards, the plans will be approved by right by staff. No official appeals process was built into the ordinance but councilmembers backed a process similar to one in Palo Alto that allows the public or an applicant to raise concerns to a development director.

If the applicant wishes to deviate from the design standards, they must pay to have the Planning and Transportation Commission conduct a discretionary design review. The city’s current process requires the Residential Design Review Committee to review all proposals, but that body will be disbanded through the updated process.

Additional changes include allowing applicants to forgo front porches, now a design requirement, if the architectural style of their proposal does not call for one. Those looking to build a balcony will also be required to screen it from their neighbors with a tree and that tree when planted will need to be of mature size.

The council also agreed to limit the size of a second home built on a lot split through Senate Bill 9 to either a maximum of 800 feet or 50% of the size of the main home on the lot. The council approved a similar requirement for accessory dwelling units during the Monday meeting.

“I think that’s consistent with maintaining the look, feel and flow of our single-family zones,” Vice Mayor John Dugan said.

Though councilmembers addressed concerns about the size of secondary units, additional concerns raised by dozens of residents regarding floor area ratios went unaddressed. Specifically, residents implored the council to revisit the city’s FAR standards to prevent “monster” homes or McMansions from being developed.

Residents, through letters and during public comment, also asked that the council keep the Residential Design Review Committee, noting the body has served as a checkpoint for residents to express concerns about various projects.

“We’re just heading down a path of the flippers, the folks who advertise they’d love to tear down your house and build it back up again,” resident Josh Wallace said. “You guys are our last resort and we’re counting on you, assuming you want to go along with the idea of mitigating some of these large houses and buildings that SB 9 is allowing.”

City Manager Jeff Maltbie acknowledged the concerns raised by residents, noting he recognized many faces who had spoken on the issue in the past, but said the previous council that set the FAR standards was tasked with striking a balance between those who wanted more restrictions and those who wanted larger homes.

City Attorney Greg Rubens also noted the council was “under the gun” to approve updated standards because an emergency ordinance limiting the development of SB 9 units is slated to expire early next year. Delaying the approval of the updated objective design standards could have left the city without some form of limitations for a brief time.

The council ultimately voted unanimously to introduce their updates. The item will come back to the council for another formal vote on Nov. 13 and the ordinance will take effect 30 days after. A subcommittee made up of Dugan and Councilmember Ron Collins will continue workshopping other issues raised by the council.

Staff will also monitor how the ordinance is received by the public, reporting back to the council six months after it takes effect and a year after as well. Draft objective design standards for mixed-use and multifamily developments are also expected to come before the council soon.

“With these new standards, we do recognize these are substantial changes, revisions and more clarity provided through the objective design standards, as well as a new process,” Senior Planner Rucha Dande said. “So we have built in this evaluation process where we will evaluate the new applications … and then see what we have learned from applicants, what comments we have received and how this process has been able to be implemented.”