HomeMy WebLinkAbout2792 Zoning Amendments to Allow Cottage Housing DevelopmentsOrdinance No. 2792
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT
TOWNSEND AMENDING CERTAIN SECTIONS OF TITLE 17 OF THE
PORT TOWNSEND MUNICIPAL CODE, ZONING TO ALLOW
COTTAGE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS
WHEREAS, PTMC Title 17, Zoning, sets forth permitted, conditional, and prohibited
uses and height, bulk, and dimensional standards; and
WHEREAS, the Port Townsend Comprehensive Plan contains policies which encourage
a variety of innovative housing types and site designs including cottage type developments
(Housing Element, Policy 4.2);
WHEREAS, the Port Townsend Planning Commission held an open record public
hearing on November 29, 2001, to take public testimony on the proposed ordinance, and
unanimously recommended the ordinance be adopted by the City Council;
NOW, THEREFORE, based upon the foregoing FINDINGS, and based upon the
record before the Port Townsend Planning Commission and City Council, the City Council
hereby ordains as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 17.08.050, Definitions, is hereby revised as follows (strikeout is
deleted text, underline is added text):
Section 17.08.050 Definitions.
"Floor area, gross" means the sum of the gross horizontal areas of the floors of a building
or buildings, measured from the exterior faces of exterior walls and from the centerline of
division walls. Floor area shall include: basement space, elevator shafts and stairwells at each
floor, mechanical equipment rooms or attic spaces with headroom of seven feet six inches or
more, penthouse floors, interior balconies and mezzanines, enclosed porches. Floor area shall not
include: accessory water tanks and cooling towers, mechanical equipment or attic spaces with
headroom of less than seven feet six inches, exterior steps or stairs, terraces, breezeways and
open spaces.
"Floor area, ground" means the gross floor area for the first floor of a structure only. The
first floor which is at or above grade level.
"Floor area, net total" means the sum of the gross floor area for all floors excluding that
portion of upper floors with sloping rooms with a ceiling height of less than 5 feet.
"Floor area, usable" means any floor area within the outside walls of a building exclusive
of areas in cellars, basements, unfinished attics, garages, open porches, and accessory buildings.
"Open space" means land or water area with its surface open to the sky or predominantly
undeveloped, which is set aside to serve the purposes of providing park and recreation
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opportunities, conserving valuable resources, and structuring urban development and form.
"Open space" is often further divided into the following categories:
A. "Common open space" means space that may be used by all occupants of a
residential complex (note: parking areas, yard setbacks, spaces between buildings of 10
feet or less in width, private open space,, and driveways do not qualify as common open
space).
B. "Landscaped open space" means an outdoor area including natural or planted
vegetation in the form of hardy trees, shrubs, grass, evergreen ground cover, and/or
flowers.
C. "Private open space" means usable outdoor space directly accessible to a unit,
with use restricted to the occupants of that unit.
D. "Usable open space" is an outdoor area which is of appropriate size, shape and
siting to provide for recreational activity. Usable open space may be occupied by
sculpture, fountains or pools, benches or other outdoor furnishings, or by recreational
facilities such as playground equipment, swimming pools, and game courts.
SECTION 2. Section 2, Table 17.16.020, is amended to read as follows (strikeout is
deleted text, underline is added text):
Table 17.16.020
Residential Zoning Districts - Permitted, Conditional and Prohibited Uses
Key to table:
P = Permitted outright; C = Subject to a conditional use permit; X = Prohibited; N/A = Not applicable
DISTRICT I R-I I R-Hi R-HI ] R-IV I APPLICABLEREGULATIONS/NOTES
SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL USES
P P P X PTMC 17.16.050, Cottage Housing
Cottage Housing ....
Developments Developments; PTMC 18.20 Binding Site
Plans.
NEW SECTION 3. A new Section 17.16.050, Cottage Housing, is added to read as
follows:
Section 17.16.050 Cottage Housing.
The following regulations apply to cottage housing developments (CHDs):
A. Density and minimum lot area.
1. In CHDs the maximum permitted density shall be one dwelling unit per 2,857 SF of
lot area (14 dwelling units/40,000 square feet).
2. The minimum lot area for a CHD shall be 11,428 square feet.
3. On a lot to be used for a CHD, an existing detached single-family residential
structure, which may be nonconforming with respect to the standards of this section,
shall be permitted to remain, but the extent of the nonconformity may not be
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increased. Such nonconforming dwelling units shall be included in the maximum
permitted cottage density.
a. Nonconforming dwelling units may be modified to be more consistent with this
section. For example, roof pitches may be increased consistent with 17.16.050(B)
but the building ground floor or total floor area may not increased greater
permitted by section 17.16.050(C).
B. Number of Cottage Housing Units.
1. The minimum number of units in a CHD shall be 4 and the maximum number 12.
C. Maximum building height and roof pitch.
1. The maximum building height permitted for structures in CHDs shall be 18 feet.
2. Roof pitches of 6:12 or greater. The highest point ora pitched roof with a minimum
slope of 6:12 may extend up to 25 feet. All parts of the roof above eighteen feet shall
be pitched.
3. Roof pitches less than 6:12. The highest point of a pitched roof with a slope of less
than 6:12 pitch may not exceed 18 feet.
D. Lot coverage and floor area.
1. The maximum lot coverage permitted for all structures in CHDs shall not exceed the
requirements for the underlying zoning district contained in Table 17.16.030.
2. The maximum usable ground floor area for an individual principal structure in a CHD
shall be as follows:
a. For at least 50 percent of the units, the usable ground floor area may not
exceed 650 square feet.
b. For no more than 50 percent of the units, the usable ground floor area may be
up to 800 square feet.
3. The net total floor area of each cottage shall not exceed 1.5 times the area of the main
level.
E. Yards - Building Setbacks from Exterior Lot Lines.
1. Front yard and side yard on comer lots shall be 10 feet:
a. Exception: The BCD Director in consultation with the Public Works Director
may authorize the setback averaging from the public right-of-way. In such
cases the setback average shall be 10 feet and at no point less than 5 feet
where the location of all structures, landscaping and other improvements will
not conflict with future improvements in the right-of-way. Fences may not be
placed in the right-of-way and are subject to PTMC Chapter 17.68.
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2. Rear yard building setback. The minimum rear yard shall be 10 feet, unless abutting
an alley, then the minimum setback shall be 5 feet.
3. Side yard building setback - interior lot lines. The minimum side yard setback shall
be 5 feet for interior lot lines.
F. CHD Building Separation.
All buildings within a CHD shall maintain a minimum separation of 10 feet from
cottages within a CHD measured from the nearest point of the exterior walls.
Accessory buildings shall comply with building code requirements for separation
from non-cottage structures.
G. Required open space.
Common Open Space. A minimum of 400 square feet per cottage unit of common
open space is required. For the purposes of cottage housing, "Common open space"
shall be the central space that may be used by all occupants of the cottage complex.
Parking areas, yard setbacks, spaces between buildings of 10 feet or less in width,
private open space, and driveways do not qualify as common open space.
Proximity to Common Open Space. At least 50% of the cottage units shall abut a
common open space, all of the cottage units shall be within 60 feet walking distance
measured from the nearest entrance of the cottage along the shortest safe walking
route to the nearest point the common open space. The common open space shall
have cottages abutting at least two sides.
Private Open Space. Each cottage unit shall be provided with a minimum of 200
square feet of usable private open space separated from the common open space by a
hedge or fence not to exceed 36 inches in height.
H. Covered Porches.
1. Cottage homes shall have a covered porch at least 60 square feet in size.
I. Off-Street Parking.
1. Parking ratios:
Total Net Floor Area of Cottage Ratio of Off-street Parking Spaces
or Non-conforming Dwelling Required per Cottage or Non-
Unit conforming Dwelling Unit
Up to 1,000 square feet 1.25 parking spaces
1,001 - 1,200 square feet 1.5 parking spaces
Over 1,201 square feet 2 parking spaces
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Location. Parking shall be located on the CHD property.
Off-street parking may be in or under a structure or outside a structure, provided that:
Off-street parking is screened from direct street view by one or more street facades by
garage doors, or by a fence and landscaping; not be located in the front yard;
between structures is only allowed when it is located toward the rear of the principal
structure and is served by an alley or private driveway; may be located between any
structure and the rear lot line of the lot or between any structure and a side lot line
which is not a street side lot line.
ao
Preferred locations for parking, in descending order of preference
are as follows:
To the rear of cottage housing units accessed by an alley.
Illustration #1 - Alley Access
ii.
Street
II
To the side of the cottage housing units access by a private
driveway.
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Illustration #2 - Side Access From a Driveway
Neighboring Lots
parking
driveway
Street
o.o
111.
Parking on the side (comer) screened from the side street by
either garage doors, landscaping, and/or fencing.
Illustration #3 - Parking on the Side Street
trees
o%
side parking
cottages [~ '--with screening
Street trees ~
4. Landscaping. Parking lot landscaping shall comply with the requirements of
PTMC 17.72.190.
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Street facing facades. The street facing facades of cottages shall be designed to avoid
blank walls through the use of building modulation, changes in materials, windows, and/
or other design features.
K. Cottage Housing Development - Design Review.
Lo
Applications. The application for a Cottage Housing Development Permit shall be
submitted to BCD on forms provided by the department, along with the
appropriate fees established by Chapter 20.09 PTMC. The application shall
include all materials required pursuant to PTMC 20.01.100 and shall also include
building elevations and site plans (including landscaping details) sufficiently
complete to show comprehensive project design.
Applications for Cottage Housing Developments shall be processed according to
the procedures for Type IA land use decisions established in Chapter 20.01
PTMC, Land Development Administrative Procedures. The director shall enter
findings and conclusions supporting the decision. The decisionmaker shall
approve the CHD only if the project complies with the provisions of 17.16.050
and all other applicable provisions of the PTMC.
Variance. Where site constraints or other property development limitations
render compliance with ail requirements of this chapter impracticable, an
applicant may apply for a variance in accordance with Chapter 17.86 PTMC,
Variances.
Binding Site Plan. All CHD's shall be developed as residential condominiums and
subject to binding site plan review per PTMC 18.20.
SECTION 4. Subsection 20.090.020(A)(7) is hereby amended (strikeout is deleted text,
underline is added text) as follows, with the balance of Section 20.09.020 otherwise not affected:
20.09.020 Building, land use and development fees.
7. Binding site plans: $250.00 $400.00, plus an additional $50.00 per hour for
staff time in excess of 44~ 8_ hours including cottage housing developments (CHDs);
SECTION 5. Severability. If any provision of this ordinance or its application to any
person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the ordinance, or the application of the
provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.
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This ordinance shall take effect and be in force five days after the date of its publication
in the manner provided by law.
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Port Townsend, Washington, at a regular
meeting thereof, held this 10th day of December, 2001.
off Masci, Mayor
Attest:
Approved as to Form:
Pamela Kolacy, CMC,~
John P. Watts, City Attorney
Ordinance 2792