AGENDA #4c
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: A Report on Possible Changes to Minimum Lot Sizes for Two-Family Land Uses
DATE: April 18, 2005
This report addresses possible changes to reduce minimum lot sizes for two-family land uses.
BACKGROUND
May, 2002 The Council received a petition from the Northside Community about the damaging effects of duplex development in that neighborhood.
October, 2002 Ordinance amendment enacted temporarily prohibiting new duplex development in the R-2A, R-2 and R-3 zoning districts.
January, 2003 Land Use Management Ordinance enacted; prohibition on new duplex development extended to February 29, 2004.
Feb. 23, 2004 Ordinance amendment enacted to permit duplex development in the R-2 and R-3 zoning districts, with new restrictions on size and process for approval, and new design guidelines for duplexes. New duplex development prohibited in Northside.
March 1, 2004 The Council requested additional discussion about duplex regulations.
May 24, 2004 The Council received a Discussion Paper (Attachment 2) prepared by the Planning Department on the subject of Duplex Dwelling Units. Since the item required considerable discussion, the Council agreed to defer discussion on the topic to June 30th.
June 2, 2004 The Community Design Commission held a duplex workshop involving Commission members, citizens and Town staff. Summary minutes of the workshop are attached (Attachment 3) to this memorandum.
June 30, 2004 In order to allow the Community Design Commission time to forward a recommendation to the Town Council, the item was deferred to September 27, 2004.
August 18, 2004 The Community Design Commission recommended (Attachment 4) that the Town Council modify the Land Use Management Ordinance and Design Guidelines for Duplex Dwelling Units.
Sept. 27, 2004 The Council called Public Hearings to consider changes to duplex provisions. The resolution adopted by the Council also contained language that requested a study by staff of zoning districts that allow duplexes to determine the number of lots that are 1˝ times the allowable lot limit in order to determine lots that might be impacted if the minimum lot size was reduced from 2 to 1˝, as suggested by the Planning Board.
POSSIBLE FUTURE CHANGES TO REGULATIONS
Possible Change to Minimum Lot Size
The Planning Board previously suggested that it would be useful to study the question of minimum lot size for duplexes. This is not part of the current proposal, brought forward by the Community Design Commission (discussed in the accompanying Parts A and B of this agenda item). The Town Council specifically asked for this study to be undertaken at the suggestion of the Planning Board. The Town Council’s resolution of September 27, 2004, calling a Public Hearing for April 18, contained the following language:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that prior to the Public Hearing, Town staff is requested to study zoning districts that allow duplexes to determine the number of lots that are 1˝ times the allowable lot limit in order to determine lots that might be impacted if the minimum lot size was reduced from 2 to 1˝, as suggested by the Planning Board.
Workload demands have not permitted us to do a comprehensive study of all existing lots throughout Town to evaluate current zoning, current lot size, whether or not duplexes are currently permitted compared, or if they would be permitted with a change in regulations.
But we have been able to study one typical neighborhood in detail, to determine what the impact might be of a change to permit duplexes if the minimum lot size were 1.5 times the single-family minimum lot size. We selected Colony Woods, because it is a typical, older neighborhood, of the type that might be subject to conversion of lots from single-family use to duplex use. We studied the area shown on the accompanying map:
We determined the following for this area:
· Zoning is Residential-2.
· Current minimum lot size for a single family use: 10,000 square feet.
· Current minimum lot size for a duplex use: 21,780 square feet.
· Proposed minimum lot size for a duplex suggested by Planning Board: 15,000 square feet.
· Number of lots in this study area: 119 lots.
· Number of lots currently large enough for duplex use: 16 lots.
· Number of lots that would be eligible for duplexes if minimum size were lowered: 74 lots.
So, for this typical area, 16 of 119 lots currently are large enough for duplexes (approximately 13%). We are concerned that a change of the type that has been suggested would open significant redevelopment possibilities for this and many other neighborhoods. If the minimum lot size were lowered in this single-family area, for example, as has been proposed, 62% of the lots would qualify for duplex development. This is not an isolated example. The following neighborhoods are all zoned the same as Colony Woods, and share some characteristics in terms of typical lot sizes:
· Westwood
· Southbridge
· Booker Creek
· Oakwood
· Chandlers Green
· Spingcrest
· Windhover
We do not recommend pursuing this proposal at this time. We recommend that the Council refer this report to the Planning Board for further consideration.
RECOMMENDATION
Manager’s Preliminary Recommendation: We recommend that the Town Council adopt the attached Resolution which would refer this report to the Planning Board for further consideration.
ATTACHMENTS
The Attachments listed below are attached to Agenda #4a:
(Manager’s Preliminary Recommendation)
A RESOLUTION REFERRING REPORT TO PLANNING BOARD (2005-04-18/R-1)
BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council hereby refers the Report on Possible Changes to Minimum Lot Sizes for Two-Family Land Uses, dated April 18, 2005, to the Planning Board for further consideration.
This the 18th day of April, 2005.