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Published on 02/23/1998 All articles from this issue

LAH Council considers incentives for secondary units

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By Carol Tiegs / Town Crier Staff Writer

The Los Altos Hills Town Council modified its list of incentives for construction of secondary dwelling units in the town following public comment and discussion at its Feb. 18 meeting.

Secondary dwelling units are the key to satisfying state affordable housing requirements and winning state certification of the town's housing element, one of seven state-mandated sections of a municipal general plan and the only one that requires state certification.

One proposed program in the housing element would have required that a secondary unit of at least 600 square feet of floor area be planned or built, or an in-lieu fee would be charged.

By a 3-2 vote Feb. 18, council voted to apply the in-lieu program only to new residences over 6,000 square feet on more than one acre, according to Town Planning Director Curtis Williams. "It wouldn't affect add-ons or remodel to existing homes," he said.

The council also supported modifications to the proposed housing element that would expedite processing time on applications for secondary units, waive certain fees, and provide more public information on secondary units, allowing time for staff to advise applicants and visit their site, Williams said.

He said the council endorsed using one gross acre of property as the minimum site that could accommodate a secondary dwelling unit. The current code requires one net acre, which is the acreage less access easements and driveways.

The council deleted a program to provide low-interest loans to encourage construction of secondary units. "They didn't feel it was within the scope of the town's capabilities," Williams said.

"We didn't know if the town has facilities to administer it," said Councilwoman Elayne Dauber. "It seemed very complicated."

The council approved inclusion of a policy suggested by Dauber to: "Assure that proposed secondary units would be subordinate to the main residence and are not located to give the appearance that the parcel has been subdivided."

Council members received 11 written comments and seven phone calls in response to a request for suggestions on how to encourage construction of secondary dwelling units to boost its affordable housing stock. Five residents made additional comments at the Feb. 18 meeting. Several of the residents' suggestions were incorporated into the proposed housing element.

Dauber expressed disappointment that few people looked at how the housing element would affect the town or questioned it philosophically.

Two residents suggested opposing the affordable housing requirements set in the 1980s by the state legislature.

"(Los Altos Hills) has next to no housing needs and concerns," said Dane Anderson, town consultant on the housing element at a Nov. 19 council meeting, "but it must meet its fair share of the regional housing needs."

The town's fair share allocation, set in 1988, is 34 very-low income residences, 27 low-income residences, 38 moderate and 125 above moderate income residences.

Williams said the planning staff would make modifications to the proposed housing element and return it for council approval at the March 18 meeting.

Following adoption by the council, the housing section of the general plan will be forwarded to the state for its approval.

In other action, the council Feb. 18 approved a work program proposed by the town's general plan consultant, Crawford Multari & Clark Associates of San Luis Obispo, to update the circulation element of the general plan.

Among issues the update will address are maintenance and dedication of private roadways, emergency access, right-of-way widths, drainage standards and guidelines for the aesthetic design of roadways. Additional issues include the role of pathways in the town's circulation system and regional traffic problems at Page Mill Road and Hwy. 280, Deer Creek, and El Monte at Interstate 280 in the Foothill College area.

Part of the update process is a number of public meetings and hearings.

The town's goal is to have an adopted circulation element by June 30.