Baseline Hillside Project

Kick-Off Meetings

February 2009

Regional TopographyWith Community Plan Boundaries

The darker the great, the

steeper the slope

Purpose of Meeting

� Get everyone up to speed.

� Show public input received so far.

� Explain some of the issues raise.

� Obtain broader scope of early input.

� Help us establish scope of Baseline Hillside Project.

Where are we now?

Where Are We?

� Baseline Mansionization Ordinance

� Preliminary Research Phase

� Existing Specific Plans in Hillsides

� Hillside Area Definition Amendment

� Northeast Los Angeles Zone Change

Ordinance

� The Oaks ICO (Hollywood Hills)

Baseline Mansionization

OrdinanceAdopted by City Council on May 6, 2008

Effective on June 29, 2008

Baseline Mansionization Ordinance� Created separate method of calculating Residential Floor Area.

� Established new Baseline FARs for each Zone.

� Included 20% Area Bonus, incentive to break up mass of building or build using USGBC LEED For Homes® Program.

� Encouraged varied roof lines by tying Building Height to Slope of Roof.

� Added two new Districts used to protect unique neighborhoods:

� Single-Story Height District

� Residential Floor Area Overlay District

Baseline Mansionization Ordinance

� Applies to over 300,000 properties zoned single-family.

� Excludes Hillside Areas and Coastal Zone.

� 77% of lots zoned R1; 39% are R1 and in the 5,000 & 6,000 sq-ft

ranges.

� Over a third of properties have development potential between

2,500 – 3,500 sq-ft, or between 3,000 – 4,200 sq-ft when 20%

Bonus utilized.

Result of BMO

R1 Neighborhood (6,200 sq-ft Lots)

Result of BMO

Previous Development Potential

Result of BMO

Previous Development Potential

Result of BMO

Development Potential After Baseline Mansionization Ordinance

Objectives Met

� The adopted ordinance addressed many concerns raised by communities:� Prevent mansionization on citywide basis.

� Address problems in Code which contribute to large “box-like” structures.

� Preserve scale of single-family neighborhoods.

� Tackle mass & bulk issues directly.

� Maximize design flexibility.

� Minimize looming factor.

� Slightly larger “box” built green.

� Balance individual property rights with needs of overall community.

Where Are We?

� Preliminary Research Phase

� Review of Existing Hillside Regulations &

Boundaries

� Existing Hillside-Related Specific Plans

� Best Practices – Other Jurisdictions Throughout

California & Country

� Next Phase …

� Review Variances & Other Deviations

� Review Public Input to Develop Hillside Objectives

Where Are We?

� Hillside-Related Specific Plans:

� Mulholland Scenic Parkway

� Hollywoodland

� Mount Washington/Glassell Park

� San Gabriel/Verdugo Mountains

� Coastal Bluffs

Where Are We?

� Revising Hillside Area Definition to be based

on topography NOT street boundaries.

� Removing Hillside Area designation from lots

which are clearly flat, leaving only true hillsides to

address.

� Baseline Mansionization Ordinance will

automatically apply to properties which will no

longer have Hillside Area designation (unless

within Coastal Zone boundary).

Northeast Los Angeles OrdinanceAdopted by City Council on November 26, 2008

Effective on January 16, 2009

(Ordinance No. 180,403)

Northeast Los Angeles OrdinanceLocation

Northeast Los Angeles Ordinance

� Ordinance dealt with a variety of issues, but it’s most significant changes were:� FAR – New Floor to Area Ratios based on topography/slopes.

� Height – Use of slope to calculate overall height limit.

� Grading – Limits on grading for hillside lots.

� Retaining Walls – regulates height and length of walls to protect safety.

� Ridgeline Protection – separate height limits on identified ridgelines.

The Oaks Interim OrdinanceAdopted by City Council on April 9, 2008

Effective on May 31, 2008

(Ordinance No. 179,814)

The Oaks ICOGriffith Park

The Oaks ICO

� Temporary Solution:

� Ordinance established new Floor Area Ratios to

limit size of structures.

� Based on Lot Size, using separate square-footage

intervals (independent of Zone) to determine max

size of home.

� Established minimum sized home of 1,600 sq-ft.

� Currently Working on Permanent Solution.

Public Input Received(Boards around the room, please review and place a

sticker near the issues you deem most important)

Hillside Issues/Concerns Raised

� Neighborhood Character & Scale.

� Environmental Impacts of Hillside Development.

� Grading & Slope Stability.

� Landscaping & Open Space.

� Run-Off & Drainage.

� Infrastructure.

� Emergency Access.

� Project Review Process.

� Construction Activity.

� Miscellaneous …

Review of Core Issues

What’s Happening?Hillside Standards Not Applied to All Hillside Lots

� Currently Hillside Standards Applied Based

on Street Improvement, Not Topography.

What’s Happening?Not All Properties Are Created Equal – Size & Scale

� FAR currently 3 times the Buildable Area (lot

size minus setbacks).

� No distinction between Zones.

� No distinction between topographical

differences.

What’s Happening?Not All Properties Are Created Equal – Size & Scale

3 Lots of Equal Size (75’ X 200’ – 15,000 sq-ft) with Different Topography

Max.

Floor

Area

35,100

sq-ft

Max.

Floor

Area

35,100

sq-ft

Max.

Floor

Area

35,100

sq-ft

15% Average Slope 45% Average Slope 66% Average Slope

What’s Happening?

15% Average Slope

45% Average Slope

66% Average Slope

3 Lots of Equal Size (75’ X 200’ – 15,000 sq-ft) with Different Topography

What’s Happening?

15% Average Slope

45% Average Slope

66% Average Slope

3 Lots of Equal Size (75’ X 200’ – 15,000 sq-ft) with Different Topography

� Lot size alone is not the best method of

determining an appropriately sized home.

� Physical site conditions, such as topography,

needs to be taken into account.

What’s Happening?Not All Properties Are Created Equal – Size & Scale

Issues-Bulk, Height, Scale

Issues-Bulk, Height, Scale

Issues-Bulk, Height, Scale

Issues-Bulk, Height, Scale

� Currently, there are no grading limits.

� Properties only limited to how much they can

afford to grade, and how much they can haul

out within their own time constraints.

What’s Happening?Grading Limits, or Absence of Them

What’s Happening?Grading Limits, or Absence of Them

What’s Happening?Grading Limits, or Absence of Them

What’s Happening?Grading Limits, or Absence of Them

What’s Happening?Grading Limits, or Absence of Them

Recent Cut/Fill Proposal

What’s Happening?Retaining Walls

Old Retaining Wall Regulations

Current Retaining Wall Regulations

Issues-Access

Issues-Access

Issues-Safety

Issues-Safety

Interconnected RelationshipsSize/Scale

Size/Scale

Bulk

Height

Lot Coverage

Site Location

Grading/Retaining Walls

Landscaping

Infrastructure

Interconnected RelationshipsBulk

Size/Scale

Bulk

Height

Lot Coverage

Site Location

Grading/Retaining Walls

Landscaping

Infrastructure

Interconnected RelationshipsHeight

Size/Scale

Bulk

Height

Lot Coverage

Site Location

Grading/Retaining Walls

Landscaping

Infrastructure

Interconnected RelationshipsLot Coverage

Size/Scale

Bulk

Height

Lot Coverage

Site Location

Grading/Retaining Walls

Landscaping

Infrastructure

Interconnected RelationshipsSite Location

Size/Scale

Bulk

Height

Lot Coverage

Site Location

Grading/Retaining Walls

Landscaping

Infrastructure

Interconnected RelationshipsGrading/Retaining Walls

Size/Scale

Bulk

Height

Lot Coverage

Site Location

Grading/Retaining Walls

Landscaping

Infrastructure

Interconnected RelationshipsLandscaping

Size/Scale

Bulk

Height

Lot Coverage

Site Location

Grading/Retaining Walls

Landscaping

Infrastructure

Interconnected RelationshipsInfrastructure

Size/Scale

Bulk

Height

Lot Coverage

Site Location

Grading/Retaining Walls

Landscaping

Infrastructure

Interconnected RelationshipsSize/Scale

Bulk

Height

Lot Coverage

Site Location

Grading/Retaining Walls

Landscaping

Infrastructure