JOINT PLANNING & ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA City Hall – Citrus Room Tuesday 207 Harvard Avenue February 20, 2018 Claremont, CA 91711 7:00 p.m. PLANNING COMMISSIONERS RICHARD ROSENBLUTH CHAIR RICK REED JAMES JACKSON CATHERINE CURTIS PARKER G. EMERSON DOUGLAS LYON LEIGH ANNE JONES ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSIONERS MARK SCHOEMAN CHAIR MAUREEN WHEELER BOB PERRY WAEN MESSNER BRIAN WORLEY JOHN NEIUBER SCOTT HORSLEY NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a special meeting of the Planning and Architectural Commissions of the City of Claremont, California, as called by the Planning and Architectural Commissions of the City of Claremont will be held on the 20th day of February 2018, at 7:00 p.m., at the above location for the purpose of considering the item listed below. The Brown Act provides for an opportunity for members of the public to address the Commissions concerning the items described below. Each speaker will be limited to four (4) continuous minutes. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL ADMINISTRATIVE ITEM STUDY SESSION FOR A PROPOSED CODE AMENDMENT – ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS (ADUs) ADJOURNMENT THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE CLAREMONT PLANNING COMMISSION WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 6, 2018 AT 7 P.M., IN THE CLAREMONT CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER, 225 SECOND STREET. Planning & Architectural Commissions Special Joint Meeting Agenda February 20, 2018 Page 2 THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE CLAREMONT ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSION WILL BE HELD ON FEBRUARY 28, 2018 AT 7 P.M., IN THE CLAREMONT CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER, 225 SECOND STREET. PLEASE NOTE: MATERIALS RELATED TO AN ITEM ON THIS AGENDA, AND SUBMITTED TO THE PLANNING & ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSIONS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THE AGENDA, ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC IN THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE AT 207 HARVARD AVENUE, CLAREMONT, MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, 7 AM – 6 PM. SUBJECT MATERIALS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON THE CITY WEBSITE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - www.ci.claremont.ca.us. For more information, please call the City Clerk’s Office at 909-399-5461. I, JUDY CHEN-KO, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, OF THE CITY OF CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA, HEREBY CERTIFY UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY THAT THE FOREGOING AGENDA WAS POSTED AT CLAREMONT CITY HALL, 207 HARVARD AVENUE, ON FEBRUARY 15, 2018, PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54954.2. IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT 0F 1990, THIS AGENDA WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE IN APPROPRIATE ALTERNATIVE FORMATS TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. ANY PERSON WITH A DISABILITY WHO REQUIRES A MODIFICATION OR ACCOMMODATION IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN A CITY MEETING SHOULD CONTACT THE CITY CLERK AT 909-399- 5461 “VOICE” OR 1-800-735-2929 “TT/TTY” AT LEAST THREE WORKING DAYS PRIOR TO THE MEETING, IF POSSIBLE. Post Through: 02/21/2018 Planning Commission & Architectural Commission Agenda Report TO: PLANNING COMMISSION & ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSION FROM: BRAD JOHNSON, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR DATE: FEBRUARY 20, 2018 SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION FOR A PROPOSED CODE AMENDMENT – ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS (ADUs) SUMMARY This study session is intended to provide an opportunity for both the Planning Commission and the Architectural Commission to learn about recent changes in State law that aim to increase production of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) throughout the state. The discussion at the study session will cover how these units, referred to as Accessory Second Units in the Claremont Municipal Code (CMC), are currently regulated in Claremont. Additionally, the study session will provide an opportunity for Commissioners, as well as the public, to provide feedback on this topic that staff may integrate into a draft ordinance amending the CMC. As the advisory body for code amendments, the Planning Commission will review the draft ordinance at a subsequent public hearing and make a recommendation to the City Council, the final decision-making body for amendments to the CMC. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Architectural Commission and Planning Commission discuss changes in State law pertaining to ADU’s, how these units are currently regulated by the CMC, and provide staff with comments on how to best integrate new State-mandated regulatory requirements into the CMC in a manner that protects the character of the City’s residential neighborhoods while facilitating the creation of new ADUs. BACKGROUND Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs for short, are secondary, independent facilities located on a property with an existing residential unit or units. ADUs are commonly referred to as “granny flats” or “in-law” units. The CMC refers to them as “Accessory Second Units.” In September 2016, Governor Brown signed three legislative bills (Senate Bill 1069, and Assembly Bills 2299 and 2406) that amended Government Code Section 65852.2, which regulates ADUs. The intent of the three bills is to spur the increased production of ADUs, as well as “Junior Accessory Dwelling Units” (JADUs), which are smaller semi-independent living units located within the footprints of existing residential structures. Follow-up legislation passed in 2017 (SB 229 and AB 494) ADU Study Session February 20, 2018 Page 2 of 11 clarified certain changes in the Government Code made through the first round of legislation. The bills were passed in an effort to address the housing crisis affecting communities across Southern California and the State as a whole, where there exists a substantially higher demand for housing than can be met by the existing supply. In turn, housing affordability is affected, impacting both homeowners and renters. While large scale construction of new housing is needed to alleviate the unmet demand for housing and the related increase in the cost of housing, ADUs have been identified as a unique opportunity for homeowners to also create new housing in an incremental fashion. The bills seek to address this crisis of housing availability and affordability by reducing the regulatory, physical, and financial barriers to constructing secondary living units. In doing so, the bills have the potential to address the unmet demand for affordable housing while at the same time assisting homeowners in offsetting the cost of homeownership and property maintenance by renting out secondary units as an additional source of revenue. These new State regulations, which went into effect on January 1, 2017, require local municipalities and counties to revise and ease restrictions on ADUs and provide more flexibility in development standards pertaining to ADUs, including but not limited to, location criteria, dwelling unit sizes, setbacks, parking requirements, conversions of garages into livable units, fire sprinkler requirements, utility connection, and development impact fees. Claremont’s current requirements for “Accessory Second Units” are contained in CMC Chapter 16.333 (Attachment A). The existing regulations were put in place in 2003 and were similarly prompted by legislation at the State level that intended to spur increased production of accessory second units. Regulatory changes in 2002 required the City to make the review and approval process for accessory second units ministerial, prohibiting discretionary review or the holding of a public hearing for proposals for secondary units. Changes to State law at that time allowed for cities to designate areas where accessory units could be permitted and also allowed cities to implement development standards for these units. Current CMC requirements for ADUs differ from new State requirements in several respects. The following table compares CMC requirements to new State requirements and indicates areas where the CMC may need to be amended in order to comply with these recent changes to State law. Claremont Municipal Code State law Review Process: Ministerial (not discretionary) Ministerial (not discretionary) Dwelling Unit Size: - Maximum: 700 square feet Maximum: Shall not exceed 50% - Minimum: 400 square feet of existing residential floor area with a maximum of 1,200 square (May be attached to a single- feet, if attached. If detached, family residence or a detached ADUs may be no larger than accessory structure) 1,200 square feet. Minimum: 150 square feet ADU Study Session February 20, 2018 Page 3 of 11 (May be attached to a single- family residence or a detached accessory structure) Lot Development: Restricted to one ADU per lot More than one ADU per lot may be permitted Permitted Sites: If zoned RS, properties must All single-family and multifamily satisfy certain criteria in the City’s residential properties having an RS zones pertaining to lot size, existing or proposed residential location at the intersection of two unit on them. (Unless findings streets, or having alley frontage. are made relating to inadequacy of water and sewer services, If zoned RM, the subject property and/or adverse impacts on traffic must have a certain minimum lot flow and safety). area. Properties zoned RR may have an ADU so long as the property has the minimum lot area for that zone. Setback Requirements: ADUs are subject to setback Second units are subject to requirements of the underlying existing setback requirements of zone. the underlying zone except that no setback shall be required for an existing garage/accessory structure converted to an ADU, and a setback of no more than five feet from side and rear property lines shall be required for and ADU built over an existing garage (if ADUs over one story in height are permitted). Parking requirements: One parking space per ADU. No more than one parking space per unit or ADU bedroom may be required. Parking may not be required for ADU’s located: - within a half-mile of public transit (as defined by the City) - within “an architecturally or historically significant district” (as defined by the City) - entirely within the footprint of an existing primary residence or accessory structure - within one block of a “car share vehicle” (as defined by the City) Parking standards: Parking for the ADU may be Cities are required to be flexible covered, uncovered or through in accommodating parking tandem parking as long as required for ADU’s including ADU Study Session February 20, 2018 Page 4 of 11 tandem parking does not tandem parking on an existing interfere with access to required driveway.