Special to the Town Crier
On a 3-2 vote, the Los Altos Hills City Council decided last Thursday to give a fast-track site review process for new housing a try.
The council directed staff to prepare a resolution to adopt an interim ordinance allowing some applications to bypass the planning commission and go straight to the council's consent agenda. Applications would be reviewed at a staff hearing and then placed on the council's consent calendar if all code provisions, policies and guidelines were met and there was no substantial neighborhood opposition.
The planning director's decision to fast-track or to refer an application to the planning commission would be final. However, the existing appeal process is retained.
Mayor Bill Johnson, and council members Toni Casey and Steve Finn voted in favor. Council members Bill Siegel and Elayne Dauber voted against the proposal that, if approved when drafted, would be in effect for a six-month trial period.
Johnson and Casey developed the fast-track proposal through public hearings and meetings with town staff. The two formed a council subcommittee in January to streamline the planning process, making site review less subjective and confrontational. Streamlining was a key plank in the joint council campaign of Casey and the newly elected Finn. Casey and Finn's campaign had called for site development review bypassing the planning commission in favor of the council.
The proposed ordinance "includes only items both Toni and I agreed on," Johnson said in his opening remarks. Their goal, he said, was to find common ground acceptable to a wide spectrum of views.
Johnson urged the residents who packed the council chambers March 18 to "help us get this right."
Nearly all residents who addressed the council favored a fast-track process, some fervently, others with reservations.
The fast-track process calls for placing story poles prior to mailing notices to all owners within 500 feet.
The Environmental Design and Pathways committees would also be invited to attend an informal hearing conducted by the planning director. The staff would provide a fact-based interim report for the hearing.
If all issues with neighbors were resolved at the hearing and the project conformed with all applicable policies, codes and guidelines, staff would refer the project to the council with a recommendation for approval, according to the proposal.
The staff could give qualified approval if limited neighborhood opposition was determined to be unreasonable or irrelevant. The staff would forward a complete report to the council with its recommendations.
Concern over the amount of time required of the planning director led to calls for caution in implementing the proposal. A motion by Councilman Bill Siegel to allow only applicants building up to 80 percent of their allowable floor area was flatly rejected by Casey and Finn, to cheers from many in the audience.
Planning Director Curtis Williams said he estimated 25 percent of the 15 homes now in the planning process would be eligible for fast tracking.
"My hope is that this process gives additional incentives to avoid asking for variances, exceeding code limits, and for working with neighbors earlier in the process," Williams said. "That could result in more projects eligible for fast-tracking in the long run, which would be positive."
Dauber emphasized the need for ordinances strong enough to meet the town's objectives. She called on the council to reconsider its height ordinance and the use of height to calculate buildable area.
Johnson and Casey's proposal included enhancements to the site development review process. The council unanimously approved the requirement for findings made by the staff, planning commission or council whenever the height, development area or floor area are reduced below code maximums, or when the setbacks are increased above code minimums.
The council passed language limiting planning commission review of site development applications to elements specifically addressed in the town's site development and zoning codes. "Design and architectural features such as architectural style, chimneys, window treatment, skylights, etc., shall not be considered or altered by the Site Development Authority," the enhancements state.
Council members consented to adding language suggested by Dauber barring council and planning commission members from attempting to influence the planning director in the fast-track process.