Agenda Date: 11/18/2024
Subject:
Title
PC Resolution 08-2024: Recommending approval to city council of a code text amendment to Title 10, the Unified Land Use Code related to neighborhood housing opportunities.
Body
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Prepared by: |
Zareen Tasneem, Senior Planner |
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Presentations: |
Zareen Tasneem, Senior Planner |
PURPOSE:
Final planning commission review and recommendation to city council for approval of revisions to Title 10, the Unified Land Use Code (ULUC) related to neighborhood housing opportunities.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
High Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
When the Unified Land Use Code (ULUC) was adopted on October 18, 2021, it included several land use categories that fall under the missing middle housing types. Generally, this term covers the transect of housing types that fall in between single-family detached houses and mid-rise apartment buildings. Examples include duplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), cottage court communities, and multiplexes. These land use categories often have restrictive standards associated with them in the ULUC that make them difficult to build. As a result, the city has only received a handful of building permits and site plans proposing to construct these types of uses.
Staff established several goals with the neighborhood housing opportunities project that the proposed changes categorically fall under:
• Clarify zoning code regulations
• Incorporate requirements of recently passed state legislation regarding ADUs
• Reduce existing zoning code barriers
• Expand land use types as permitted in more zone districts
The ULUC proposed code changes are now ready for planning commission final review and recommendation to city council.
BACKGROUND:
Envision Littleton, the City’s comprehensive plan, names housing diversity as one of its goals. To align with this goal, staff made incremental changes to the ULUC’s ADU regulations last year as part of a larger code amendment. During that process, both Littleton’s Planning Commission and City Council expressed an interest in taking a more comprehensive look at the ADU regulations in 2024. During a joint study session with the planning commission and Housing Task Force on December 11, 2023, interest was expressed to also look at additional “missing middle housing” types that could be built in the Neighborhood (NB) zone districts. Staff decided to term these categorically as “Neighborhood Housing Opportunities.”
During the January 23, 2024 city council study session, staff presented this thematic approach to focusing on a code amendment this year for the first time and was given direction to pursue the Neighborhood Housing Opportunities topic. At the June 4, 2024 city council study session, council gave specific direction to staff to explore the allowance of all missing middle housing types in all the NB zone districts. Staff then conducted a community survey, a technical stakeholder group meeting, and other background research on the topic of “missing middle housing” and ADUs from June to October, 2024. At the October 22, 2024 joint study session with the Littleton City Council and Planning Commission, staff presented the results of their research efforts and a draft of the code amendment.
Additional Research on Acreage Lot Residential (ACR) Lots
Staff was given direction at the Oct. 22nd study session to perform additional research on existing ACR lots. In total, there are 63 developable lots zoned ACR; there are an additional 11 ACR lots designated for open space use that were not used in the following calculations. Of the 63 lots, 62 are greater than or equal to 1 acre. The smallest ACR lot is approximately 0.945 acres. Based on manual measurements of approximate lot widths, the average ACR lot is about 264.49 feet wide and the smallest ACR lot is about 137.50 feet wide.
Proposed Code Amendment
As a result of the community survey, stakeholder group meeting, background research, study sessions, and public review comment period staff conducted the last few months, we are proposing the following changes (this list is not all-inclusive):
§ Simplified, consistent definitions and use types:
§ Duplex - only one category to refer to two primary dwelling units in one building, all other categories deleted
§ Multiplex - now means a 3-4 unit building that does not meet the townhome definition, e.g. a stacked triplex
§ Townhome - a 3+-unit single-family attached product
§ ADU categories
§ Attached - shares a common wall with the primary dwelling unit
§ Detached - does not share a common wall
§ Height - definition aligns with building code definition
§ Cottage Court Communities
§ clarified housing types permitted and established maximum square foot limits
§ Increased maximum parking permitted to 2 spaces/unit
§ Removed adjacency requirement
§ Reduced minimum site area requirement to a quarter acre
§ Incorporated requirements of recently passed State legislation regarding ADUs
§ Removed alley access requirement for detached ADUs
§ Allowing detached ADUs in all NB zone districts
§ Increased gross floor area allowed for detached ADUs
§ Permitted in areas that have single-family only planned development regulations
§ Maximum height increased to be equal to height allowed for a single-family detached house in the same zone district
§ Removed minimum parking requirement
§ Duplexes
§ Removed conditional use permit requirement for duplexes in Small Lot Residential (SLR)
§ Remove site plan process requirement for duplexes
§ Permit duplexes in SLR south of W. Caley Avenue
§ Changed ACR minimum lot area to for single-family detached homes to 1 acre*
§ Added standards for existing single-family detached houses in Multi-Family Residential (MFR)
§ Allowing duplexes and multiplexes in all NB zone districts*
§ Multiplexes in ACR and Large Lot Residential (LLR) limited to just one building on existing lots*
§ Allowing multiplexes and 3-4-unit townhomes in Medium Lot Residential (MLR) and SLR
* = changes made as a result of the Oct. 22 study session discussion
Clarifying Notes on the Proposed Changes
While the proposed changes aim to expand missing middle housing types as use by right in more residential zones, development standards are still necessary which limit location of where missing middle may be built. For example, there is a need to meet minimum lot area and lot width standards. In addition, many properties in the city remain governed by planned development zoning regulations, which in some cases only allow single-family detached homes. ADUs are exempt from these planned development rules, per recent state legislation. The other applicable housing types are not exempt from planned development rules. For example, such a property would not be permitted to build a duplex if only single-family detached homes are allowed under a planned development, unless a site plan process approved by planning commission is completed. Finally, related to duplexes, the elimination of the site plan requirement does not eliminate the requirement for the structure to meet all applicable land use and zoning requirements outlined within the ULUC. These elements will still be reviewed by the planning and engineering teams as part of the building permit review process. The benefit of removing the site plan requirement allows for a potential project to move forward without having two (2) neighborhood meetings.
This proposal does not eliminate the ability to own or build a single-family detached home in the City of Littleton. Single-family detached homes are permitted in over half the City's zone districts and four out of five residential zone districts.
Prior Actions or Discussions
• At the January 23, 2024 City Council study session, council gave staff direction to pursue work on this code amendment topic this year.
• At the June 4, 2024 City Council study session, council gave staff direction on the scope of the code amendments, which included exploring allowing all missing middle housing types in all the Neighborhood zone districts.
• At the October 22, 2024 joint study session with City Council and Planning Commission, staff presented a draft of the code amendment. Council and Planning Commission gave staff direction on some revisions and additional research they wanted to see.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of PC Resolution 08-2024, recommending approval to city council of a code text amendment to Title 10, the Unified Land Use Code regarding Neighborhood Housing Opportunities.
ALTERNATIVES:
The planning commission may choose to recommend rejection of the code amendment or may recommend approval of the code amendment with revisions.
PROPOSED MOTION:
Proposed Motion
I move to approve PC Resolution 08-2024, recommending city council approve a code text amendment to Title 10, the Unified Land Use Code, regarding Neighborhood Housing Opportunities.
Body
REFERENCES:
ULUC Proposed Changes:
https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/littleton-co-cc/rfc.aspx?secid=3002#secid-3002 <https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/littleton-co-cc/rfc.aspx?secid=3002>