By Gus Herrera
The issue of mansionization has been a prominent topic in local government all throughout the San Gabriel Valley. In an attempt to quell community concerns before any substantial problems arise (as is the case in some neighboring cities), Pasadena is launching a pre-emptive strike by, “undertaking an effort to revise the Zoning Code development standards governing single-family residences,” according to the city’s staff report. These changes will ensure that certain neighborhoods will maintain aesthetic continuity and, especially in the case of Lower Hastings Ranch, monstrous additions or re-constructions do not jeopardize the views and privacy of neighbors.
This endeavor will be broken up into three phases, each of which applies to a particular district. Phase 1 would deal with the Lower Hastings Ranch, Phase 2 with non-historic and non-hillside districts, and Phase 3 with Hillside Overlay Districts. Last week the City of Pasadena’s Planning Commission met in order to address Phase 1.
The Lower Hastings Ranch neighborhood is made up of 586 single-family homes, predominantly single-story and ranch style. Back in 1991, this area was adopted as a special Neighborhood Overlay District (ND), with specific standards to which the houses must adhere, meant to protect its single-family character, according to the report. In 2011, the city council made amendments to the ND, limiting the height of porches and roof pitch, in addition to providing setback and height requirements to any second-story additions. Last year, in 2015, the city council adopted a moratorium that would prohibit second story developments and additions in this neighborhood, in response to a growing fear of mansionization. Furthermore, this moratorium provided restrictions on single story additions and exterior wall demolition. With that said, the moratorium will only be in effect until March 2017, so the aforementioned three-phase project is intended to be a more permanent, legislative approach to protect concerned citizens and their neighborhoods from mansionization.
According to a presentation by Tracy Steinkruger, senior planner, community outreach on this subject began in late 2014. Meetings were held with the Lower Hastings Ranch Association and the neighborhood. Additionally, there was a driving tour with association members and two surveys mailed to all property owners. The second of these surveys proved to be especially helpful with a participation rate of 48 percent among neighborhood residents, according to Steinkruger’s report.
From this outreach, residents’ concerns were distilled into five general categories: bulk/mass, design/style, view protection, privacy, and community notification/involvement. In order to respond to the community’s apprehensions, “Staff has developed additional standards to augment the existing ND standards, aimed at preserving neighborhood character and requiring new development to be context-sensitive. The additional standards include new setback requirements, restriction on materials and design elements, revisions to Floor Area Ratio Calculations, and a new ‘Neighborhood Development Permit’ discretionary process for new houses,” according to the staff report.
On top of these technical provisions, staff also recommended that the commission consider the approach taken by City of Palo Alto, where for a similar community of ranch-style homes, the city decided to put the power in the hands of the residents. Instead of enacting legislative change from the top-down, the Palo Alto process calls for a group of residents to come together and create a petition. Once the petition gains enough signatures and is approved by the city council and all relevant commissions, then the residents are effectively able to enact change upon their own discretion, placing zoning restrictions upon themselves. In the case of Palo Alto, the residents moved to prohibit second-stories entirely.
After hearing public comments on the matter, the planning commission realized that the scenario here in Pasadena would not be so clear-cut as was the case up north. Despite an overarching theme that the solution would be to prohibit second-stories entirely, there was some inconsistency and commissioners feared that the Palo Alto process would pit neighbor against neighbor in a political relay for signatures. Thus, the Palo Alto recommendation was not adopted, but several commissioners did recognize that model should be kept in mind for future reference as a helpful tool for other neighborhoods with different circumstances.
Ultimately, the commission decided to proceed by breaking up their recommendation to city council into several motions. In addition to adopting the original addendum and findings recommended by staff, the commission included a motion (adopted on a 5-2 vote, two commissioners were absent) that would prohibit second-story additions entirely in the Lower Hastings Ranch neighborhood. The motions will now be added to the city council’s upcoming agenda to be heard most likely in May, but possibly as soon as late April. The city council has the option to approve, deny, or modify the motions. From there, an ordinance will be drafted by the city attorney and planning commission, before returning to the council for a first and second reading.
For more details, visit http://ww5.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/planning-commission/.
