Chapter 18.28 R-1 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

Chapter 18.28
R-1 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

Sections:

18.28.010 Applicability.

18.28.020 Permitted uses.

18.28.030 Conditional uses.

18.28.035 Permitted and conditional use table.

18.28.010 Applicability.

The following regulations shall apply to all R-1 Districts, and shall be subject to the provisions of this title. (Ord. 977 § 1 Ex. A (part), 1987)

18.28.020 Permitted uses.

Permitted uses in the R-1 District are indicated in the chart in Section 18.28.035. For second dwelling units, the following additional requirements shall apply:

One second dwelling unit per property is permitted when approved in compliance with Chapter 18.114. (Ord. 1314 § 3, 2002; Ord. 1209 § 2 (part), 1996; Ord. 1121 § 2 (part), 1993; Ord. 1082 § 3, 1991: Ord. 977 § 1 Ex. A (part), 1987)

18.28.030 Conditional uses.

Planning Commission conditional uses in the R-1 District are indicated in the chart in Section 18.28.035. Conditional use permits shall be processed and administered pursuant to Chapter 18.124. (Ord. 1209 § 2 (part), 1996)

18.28.035 Permitted and conditional use table.


Land Use		Permitted Use	Planning Commission Use Permit
1.	Accessory structures (2 per property) when constructed simultaneously with or subsequent to the main building on the same lot	X
2.	Churches		X
3.	Community and residential care facilities (6 or fewer residents, with a State license)	X
4.	Crop and tree farming		X
5.	Day care home (small family, 1—6 children) with a State license	X
6.	Day care home (large family, 7—12 children) with a State license	X
7.	Home occupations, as defined in this title	X
8.	Parking lots, public or private when adjacent to any C or M District		X
9.	Parks or playgrounds		X
10.	Public and quasi-public buildings and uses		X
11.	Public utility uses		X
12.	Schools, public or private		X
13.	Second dwelling units in accordance with the standards listed in Section 18.28.020	X
14.	Shared housing	X
15.	Single-family dwellings and accessory uses	X

(Ord. 1209 § 2 (part), 1996)

18.28.040 Regulations.

The following minimum and maximum requirements shall apply to all R-1 Districts, as regulated herein:

A. Height. Maximum heights are:

1. Dwellings, twenty-eight feet. To verify building height, the applicant must submit a topographic site plan and all four building elevations with original grade elevations plotted along the foundation of the building in five-foot intervals;

2. Accessory buildings shall meet the requirements of Section 18.116.125;

3. Churches, public and quasi-public buildings, schools and public utility uses: forty-five feet, with architectural features to fifty feet.

B. Site Area, Width. Minimum site requirements are:

1. Existing interior lots, five thousand square feet; fifty feet width; new lots created through the subdivision process shall meet the requirements of Chapter 17.16 and the General Plan;

2. Corner lots, six thousand square feet; sixty feet width.

C. Lot Coverage. Aggregate building coverage shall not exceed forty percent of the building site.

D. Front Yard. Minimum and maximum front yard requirements are:

1. Fifteen feet minimum, plus two feet for every five feet or fraction thereof of building height over twenty feet, but in no case shall any structure be erected closer than forty feet from the centerline of any street;

2. Thirty-five feet maximum;

3. Where twenty-five percent or more of the lots in a block have been improved with buildings, the minimum front yard required shall be the average of improved lots.

E. Side Yard. Minimum side yard requirements are:

1. Interior Lots. Five feet, plus two feet for every five feet or fraction thereof of building height over twenty feet;

2. Exterior side yards with no reversed frontage, seven and one-half feet, plus two feet for every five feet or fraction thereof of building height over twenty feet;

3. Exterior side yards on lots with reversed frontage, the rear one-quarter of the exterior side yard shall not be less than the front yard required or existing on the lot adjoining said exterior side yard (see Diagram for Section 18.24.040, Side Yards);

4. Side yards on a lot with an average width of forty feet or less shall be a minimum of ten percent of the lot width or three feet, whichever is greater;

5. No eave, bay, chimney or other architectural feature shall extend more than two feet into any required side yard;

6. For the purpose of additions, continuation of a setback that was legal at the time of adoption of Ordinance No. 872 on November 10, 1980, shall not be considered a nonconformity. However, in no case shall any existing setback of less than three feet be considered legal for purposes of this chapter. Further, any residential additions above the first floor shall conform to the setbacks in effect at the time the application for an addition is submitted.

F. Rear Yard. Minimum rear yard requirements are:

1. Fifteen feet, plus two feet for every five feet or fraction thereof of building height over twenty feet; accessory building shall not cover more than thirty feet of such required rear yard;

2. Five feet if a minimum of fifteen percent of the area of the building site is provided clear and unobstructed to the rear of the dwelling.

G. Off-Street Parking and Garage Requirements.

1. Required off-street parking shall be required as regulated in the parking chapter of this title.

2. Garage or Carports Setback Requirements. Garage or carports, the entrance of which faces upon any property line, shall be located at least eighteen feet from the property line or such greater distance as needed for accessibility, except as follows:

a. Upon the approval of the Public Works Department, the garage or carport may be located eighteen feet from the edge of the improved right-of-way, but may not be located closer than the required setback for the main structure.

b. For properties with rear frontages on East San Carlos Avenue and for properties fronting Walnut Street with rear frontage on an alley, a detached garage or carport is permitted to have access to the alley provided its entrance is located at least four feet from the rear property line with a forty-five degree visibility triangle on either side, and with the garage door not crossing the property line, either on opening or closing. Other properties with rear frontage on an alley or street may also have access for a detached garage or carport, provided they meet the above setback and visibility requirements and provided the Planning Director finds that such access will not adversely affect vehicle or pedestrian use of the street or alley. The structure shall meet all the requirements of Section 18.116.125, Residential accessory structures, with the exception of alley setback.

H. Site, Bulk and Floor Area Limit. Any new residential construction, addition or remodel to any existing building shall be designed and constructed to be architecturally compatible with the existing building on the property and the neighborhood in which the site is located with respect to size and bulk. Consideration should be given to properties immediately adjacent to the site. Where neighboring properties’ views of San Francisco Bay, the Western Hills or other significant natural vistas are substantially impacted by a development, mitigation by design features and/or building placement may be considered where feasible. In addition, construction should be sensitive to solar access on adjoining properties. To accomplish these objectives, the following review thresholds on total building floor area (including garages) are established:


Average Cross-Slope of Project Site (Percent)	Floor Area Threshold Percent of Total Lot Area1,2
0 — 4.9	40
5 — 19.9	30
20 — 29.9	25
30+	20

1. In all cases, up to three thousand square feet of floor area (including garages) may be constructed on any lot regardless of size or slope.

2. In cases in which the ratio of average lot depth to lot width exceeds two to one (2:1), the floor area review threshold will be based on width ¥ (2¥ width) ¥ maximum allowable coverage.

3. Design Review Guidelines. The following guidelines, if reflected in the design of proposed residential development projects, may serve as a basis upon which to grant approval of the project’s neighborhood compatibility pursuant to this section:

a. Building design features which effectively mitigate adverse height and bulk impact, such as:

i. Roof angles or design used to break up vertical mass or to blend with the site topography,

ii. Use of vertical treatments designed to break up mass and make structures appear smaller,

iii. Designing the building as a series of segments as opposed to a single, massive structure,

iv. Use of features such as windows, bays or doorways to break up massiveness,

v. Use of surface materials, finish and texture to soften the design;

b. Landscaping features which effectively mitigate adverse height and bulk impacts, such as:

i. Massing and placement of plant materials to soften and screen the view of the building,

ii. Use of larger, box-size trees to achieve early results,

iii. Use of substantially greater than minimum amounts of landscaping for screening,

iv. Use of landscaping to blend with the building design;

c. On-site parking provisions which acceptably offset negative aspects of increased home size, such as:

i. Provision of additional on-site parking,

ii. Use of design techniques to screen or soften on-site parking areas;

d. Provision of affordable housing through construction of a second dwelling unit or participation in the Human Investment Project Homesharing Program;

e. Incorporation of below-grade improvements that are not visible from the public right-of-way or neighboring properties.

I. 1. Review Process—Floor Area Below Threshold. All proposed residential construction, remodeling or home expansion projects which would result in a floor area less than the thresholds established in subsection H of this section are subject to the discretionary review authority of the Planning Director for compatibility as defined by the Planning Director based on their total square footage.

a. The Planning Director may refer items directly to the Residential Design Review Committee when:

i. The addition is greater than fifty percent of the floor area before the addition or two thousand five hundred square feet, whichever is less;

ii. The addition is a second story of greater than five hundred square feet in size;

iii. The proposal involves the construction of a new residence; or

iv. In his or her opinion the public interest would be better served by Residential Design Review Committee review of the addition.

b. Appeal Process. Should any interested party not be satisfied with the decision of the Planning Director, he or she may appeal the decision to the Residential Design Review Committee by filing an appeal with the City within ten calendar days of the date of the Planning Director’s decision, pursuant to the regulations in Chapter 18.132, Appeals.

c. Notice of review of applications involving a second story addition shall be mailed at least ten calendar days prior to the decision date to the applicant and to each owner of record of property within a one-hundred-fifty-foot radius of the exterior boundaries of the subject property.

2. Review Process—Floor Area Above Threshold. All proposed residential construction, remodeling or home expansion projects which would result in a floor area equal to or in excess of the floor area threshold standards established in subsection H of this section are subject to review and approval by the Residential Design Review Committee established under Section 18.116.135 of Title 18 (Zoning) of the Municipal Code.