TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Rick Otto, City Manager
FROM: Susan Galvan, Interim Community Development Director
1. Subject
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Public Hearing to consider an ordinance amending Titles 16 and 17 of the Orange Municipal Code to establish development standards and streamlined subdivision and entitlement procedures for small lot subdivisions in multi-family residential and neighborhood mixed use zones.
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2. Summary
The City of Orange has prepared a Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance and associated guidelines to provide more flexible development standards and streamlined procedures for the development of contextually compatible single-family residential housing units on infill sites.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Introduce and conduct First Reading of Ordinance No. 15-21. An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Orange amending Title 16 and Title 17 of the Orange Municipal Code relating to regulation of small lot subdivisions.
2. Adopt Resolution No. 11354. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Orange approving Small Lot Subdivision Guidelines.
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4. Fiscal Impact
None.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 3. Enhance and promote quality of life in the community.
c. Support and enhance attractive, diverse living environments.
6. Discussion and Background
With growing frequency, the Planning Division receives inquiries about site redevelopment involving compact arrangements of detached, for sale, single-family housing units. In most cases, the zoning for the sites is multi-family residential. The desired small lot development format and single-family product type are not easily accommodated by the development standards in the Zoning Ordinance. Representative projects that experienced a lengthy entitlement process in Orange include the MBK Homes/Irving House and Cohen Residential projects at Orange-Olive Road and Grove Avenue.
The purpose of the subject ordinance is to provide development standards to accommodate compact single-family neighborhood formats and to streamline the entitlement process for projects on small parcels. The ordinance was crafted to facilitate development and provide pragmatic, context-sensitive standards. Staff solicited input and “lessons learned” from stakeholders representing the development community that have been important aspects of informing the work effort.
The Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance (Attachment 1) amends Title 16 and Title 17 of the Orange Municipal Code and includes the following key features:
• Applies to properties located in Multi-Family Residential zones (R-3 and R-4) and the Neighborhood Mixed Use-24 zone (NMU-24) where the underlying General Plan land use designations are intended to accommodate multi-family residential development at a maximum density of 24 units per acre.
• Streamlines the entitlement process to authorize Planning Commission approval of tentative tract maps (five or more lots) rather than City Council approval for projects that do not require preparation of an EIR.
• Provides development standards to accommodate small lot homes for infill developments related to:
o Building setbacks
o Building height
o Lot coverage
o Open space requirements
o Manner in which parking is provided
o Wall height
A comparison of existing and proposed development standard highlights, and detailed review of the Ordinance is provided in Attachment 6.
Small Lot Subdivision Guidelines
The Small Lot Subdivision Guidelines (Attachment 3) are intended to guide the site layout and building design in order to ensure that the new small lot subdivisions are compatible with existing adjacent neighborhoods. Key content that is intended to address contextual compatibility includes:
• Scale and massing
• Building orientation
• Building articulation
• Roof forms
• Stepped upper stories
• Access and connectivity to established neighborhood
A detailed discussion of the Guidelines is provided in Attachment 6.
Planning Commission Review
At its July 19, 2021, meeting the Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council adopt Ordinance No. 15-21 and the Small Lot Subdivision Guidelines.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Attachment 1 Ordinance No. 15-21
• Attachment 2 Ordinance No. 15-21 (Redlined)
• Attachment 3 Resolution No. 11354 (Including Small Lot Subdivision Guidelines)
• Attachment 4 Planning Commission Resolution No. PC 17-21
• Attachment 5 Planning Commission Resolution No. PC 18-21
• Attachment 6 Planning Commission Staff Report July 19, 2021
• Attachment 7 Planning Commission Minutes July 19, 2021