07/13/2011 P&Z Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• AGENDA ITEM V B STAFF ORIGINATOR: Jeff Smyser P & Z MEETING DATE: July 13, 2011 DISCUSSION TOPIC: CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING Amending Section 6 of the Zoning Ordinance (Residential Zones) BACKGROUND This P & Z opened this public hearing at the June meeting. We went through Section 6 in its entirety and resolved most issues. The Board continued the hearing to allow further discussion of two topic areas: minimum dwelling unit sizes, and; a proposed maximum garage door proportion in the R -2 zone. The Board directed staff to look at some home sizes and designs in the building market and research ordinance requirements of other communities for comparisons. ANALYSIS Minimum Dwelling Unit Sizes. The first question relates to the minimum size requirements for residential dwelling units, both detached houses and multifamily units. The current ordinance lists minimum square footages for floor areas. The Board supported changing this to footprint areas for detached homes. However, questions arose over what is an appropriate minimum, given that the housing market is moving toward smaller homes. A related question arose whether the City should establish minimum dwelling unit sizes at all versus just leaving it to market forces to address consumer demands. To facilitate discussion, I suggest addressing the this multi- faceted issue in the following order: • Question: Should the ordinance establish minimum dwelling unit sizes? Option A) If the answer is no, the problem is solved. Option B) If the answer is yes, we need to determine the following: 1. the minimum footprint for a) single family detached dwellings and b) twin homes and c) how to account for an attached garage in the footprint minimum and 2. the minimum livable floor area for attached dwelling units