Summary of the November 6, 2003 Meeting of the Northside Neighborhood Conservation District Advisory Committee

Present: Chair Delores Bailey, Vice Chair Esphur Foster, Jeff Caiola, Linda Convissor, Tim Dempsey, Jane Farrar, Helen Galbreath, Sally Greene, Josh Gurlitz, Estelle Mabry, Mae McLendon, Velma Perry, Ruby Sinreich, Tom Tucker.

Staff Present: Than Austin, Loryn Barnes, Chris Berndt, Roger Waldon

Absent: Mark Patmore, Rick Perry, Matthew Robbins, R.D. Smith

The Northside Neighborhood Conservation District Advisory Committee held a meeting on November 6, 2003 at 6:30 pm at the Northside Senior Center. A quorum of the Committee was present.

The Committee adopted the minutes from the October 2, October 16 and October 30, 2003 meetings.

The Committee discussed the issues below and offered the following comments:

Maximum House Size

· 2000 square feet is reasonable

· approximately 85% of houses in the neighborhood are less than 2,000 square feet; 2,200 square feet is a reasonable compromise to keep in character with the neighborhood

· moderate income families can afford a 2,200 square foot house

· If people want to build a bigger house, can apply for a Special Use Permit

· Since the Special Use Permit process is expensive, an alternative could be to allow the staff to issue a Zoning Compliance Permit

· An alternative to the Special Use Permit process could be created so it would not be so expensive

· Staff noted that if a maximum house size is established in the ordinance, Council can modify regulations through the Special Use Permit process or can apply for a variance from the Board of Adjustment (must show a hardship)

· The proposed Floor Area Ratio limits will essentially limit house size to about 2,000 square feet anyway

· There needs to be a cap on house size – regulations should state that you can apply to the Board of Adjustment in the case of a hardship

· Would Board of Adjustment consider adding a room for a new child a hardship?

o staff response: they might

· It should not be too easy to build a bigger house

· Establish an upper limit for a variance – 2,500 square feet?

· Can the number of bedrooms be restricted?

o Staff response: not restricted, but if more than 5 bedrooms it becomes a rooming house unless there are no more than 2 unrelated people living there

· It will be difficult to build a 5 bedroom house with 2,200 square feet – could do this with 5,000 square feet.

· Staff recommends establishing a maximum house size because it’s easier to regulate the size of a house than occupancy.

· Could a lot be subdivided so that more than 1 house could be on a lot?

o Staff response: lot would have to be a minimum of 5,500 square feet. If there is a 12,000 square foot lot, can subdivide into 2 lots if all standards are met, if it’s left as one lot, could not put two houses on lot – regulations do not allow for two houses on one lot. Though this exists in the neighborhood now, it’s a pre-existing, non-conforming use.

· The Committee voted 13-0 to establish a maximum house size of 2,000 square feet, with a variance provision of up to 2,500 square feet for the Northside Neighborhood Conservation District.

· It was noted that a property owner could apply for a Special Use Permit to build a house larger than 2,500 square feet.

Maximum Building Height

· The Committee discussed the primary and secondary building height of Rosemary Village (4 feet primary, four stories)

· 30 feet is reasonable for a 2 story building because of sprinklers and heating systems

· 30 or 35 feet in Town Center is reasonable

· 2 stories is appropriate for the north side of West Rosemary Street

· To do commercial buildings with residential on top 2 floors would need about 40 feet

· Shadowing behind a building is a concern

· The Committee voted:

o 13-0 to establish a 20 feet primary building height in residential areas

o 13-0 to establish a maximum primary height of 40 feet and maximum secondary height of 50 feet in Town Center; 30 feet primary where the lot is adjacent to an R-2,R-3, or R-4 lot

o 12-1 to establish a 35 feet secondary building height in residential areas

§ The dissenting voter felt that 35 feet was still too high

Floor Area Ratio

· The Committee voted 13-0 to recommend establishing a maximum floor area ratio of .25 for single family and .162 for buildings other than single family or single family with apartments.

· Examples of buildings other than single family or single family with apartments are apartment buildings.

Impervious Surface

• The Committee voted 13-0 to recommend establishing a maximum impervious surface of .24

Bathroom to Bedroom Ratio

• Based on staff’s comment that it was easier to regulate physical design rather than occupancy, the Committee voted 8-3 with 2 abstentions to recommend the following bathroom to bedroom ratio:

Ø If 2 bedrooms or less, the bathroom to bedroom ratio can be 1:1

Ø If more than 2 bedrooms, the bathroom to bedroom ratio must be less than 1

Minimum Lot Size

• The Committee voted 13-0 to recommend a minimum lot size of 5,500 square feet in R-3.
• It was stated that if the minimum lot size was raised, most of the lots in Northside would be out of compliance.

Next Steps

The Committee will hold a community form on either November 19 or 20 from 6-7 pm at the Hargraves Center. Comments received will be presented to the Council at the meeting on November 24.

The Committee also discussed January 24 and January 31 as possible dates for a design charrette.