3A Public Hearing 2012 0221 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Excerpt of the Board of ZoningAdjustrnents Regular Meeting Minutes for• Ianuary 5, 2012 Page 4 (?f'-1 apply, but they would have to adhere to the height regulations. The City actively discourages use of T1 -11 siding at the permit counter. Member Mendieta asked whether there's any history within the past 10 to 20 years of structures so inferior that someone sustained a serious injury. Senior Planner Barros said that she was not aware of any in her 10 -plus years with the City. 3) Fences in the Residential Single- Family View Preservation Overlay District (RS- VP): Senior Planner Barros noted that view preservation area in Bay -O -Vista was created in Zoning Code amendments in 2001 and showed the RS -VP zoning overlay on a map, noting that the residential single - family neighborhoods in the flat area north of Estudillo Avenue around Chabot Park are not part of it. In 2001, the City instituted a design review process to deal with second -story additions, and in this neighborhood, even adding 250 square feet triggers such a review. In 2007, a change in fencing regulations in Bay -O -Vista required any fencing above three feet to be made of glass. The proposed change would make that regulation more flexible, because certain fencing proposals in some RS -VP areas — particularly around Benedict Drive and in the hills where homes on a ridge are all side -by -side — has no view implications at all. 4) Paving in Residential Front Yards in Residential Districts The Zoning Code includes language about residential driveways and parking, Senior Planner Barros said, but the provisions aren't gathered into an explicit policy indicating the amount of paving allowed. The proposed amendments would limit installation of paving /impervious surfaces to a maximum of 50% of the front yard, avoiding situations of homeowners paving over their entire front yards. Senior Planner Barros said that she conducted a survey of homes, and found front yards typically 50 feet wide and 20 feet deep, or 1,000 square feet. Of that, a homeowner could pave up to 500 square feet. Considering walkways and driveways, she said, most of these homes have about 400 square feet of impervious- surface. She said that the proposal would not prevent installation of pervious pavers on the entire front yard, she said. As additional background, Assistant City Attorney Pio Roda pointed out that San Leandro has joined other jurisdictions in appealing to the State Water Resources Control Board its permitting requirements for stormwater entering their municipal sewer systems. Noting that some of the State Water Board's regulations are more stringent than jurisdictions are able to comply with, he said this proposed Zoning Code change is supportive of the City's position in that it indicates to the State that San Leandro is cognizant of issues related to its permit, and that more stringent State regulations related to stormwater permits are unnecessary. Senior Planner Barros said that residences do not typically trigger the stormwater requirements, but this move does demonstrate that San Leandro develops and implements sustainable policies. Senior Planner thanked the Board members for their comments and noted that the item was scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission in two weeks and that staff would consider incorporating the Board comments into that proposal.