HOUSE SIZE INCREASES RECOMMENDED
(NOTE: See earlier post below.)
The City Planning Commission approved zoning law changes April 4 to allow taller houses and slightly larger house "footprints" in Orchard Lake. Its recommendation goes to City Council for final action, a process that could commence as early as April 17.
The changes were adopted after a 2.5-hour meeting with spirited questions and comment, but with only five of the nine Commission members present.
One change would allow three feet of additional height on new houses in all zones, except for those with flat roofs. This would raise the current maximum height of 35 feet, or 43 feet for a house with a walkout lower level. However a second change, in the so-called "bonus" allowance for walkouts, would actually permit a house to be 48 feet on its highest side, an increase of five feet from the existing law.
Currently, if a property has a drop of at least six feet somewhere in its footprint, it may be built eight feet higher on the lowest side, for a walkout. The new proposal increases this bonus to 10 feet.
In addition, if the slope within the footprint is at least three feet a bonus of five feet in height would be allowed for "daylight windows" in the lower level.
Separately, the Commission recommended to Council that building overhangs of no more than one foot, plus five inches for gutters, be excluded from lot coverage limits. This would allow owners to slightly enlarge the footprint of new houses if they had such overhangs.
While the overhang question brought relatively little discussion and no outright opposition, building height was debated at length with a variety of alterative suggestions (none of them adopted by the Commission which stuck with its original proposal).
Mayor David Boerger said that in an informal survey of some 20 residents he detected a 50-50 split of opinion. Some residents favored greater height for their own properties, he said, and some because they felt bigger houses nearby would increase their property values. The opposing residents, he said, were concerned about appearance and community character.
City Council may approve or reject the proposals but if it were to make substantial changes they would have to be returned to the Planning Commission for rehearing.
The City Planning Commission approved zoning law changes April 4 to allow taller houses and slightly larger house "footprints" in Orchard Lake. Its recommendation goes to City Council for final action, a process that could commence as early as April 17.
The changes were adopted after a 2.5-hour meeting with spirited questions and comment, but with only five of the nine Commission members present.
One change would allow three feet of additional height on new houses in all zones, except for those with flat roofs. This would raise the current maximum height of 35 feet, or 43 feet for a house with a walkout lower level. However a second change, in the so-called "bonus" allowance for walkouts, would actually permit a house to be 48 feet on its highest side, an increase of five feet from the existing law.
Currently, if a property has a drop of at least six feet somewhere in its footprint, it may be built eight feet higher on the lowest side, for a walkout. The new proposal increases this bonus to 10 feet.
In addition, if the slope within the footprint is at least three feet a bonus of five feet in height would be allowed for "daylight windows" in the lower level.
Separately, the Commission recommended to Council that building overhangs of no more than one foot, plus five inches for gutters, be excluded from lot coverage limits. This would allow owners to slightly enlarge the footprint of new houses if they had such overhangs.
While the overhang question brought relatively little discussion and no outright opposition, building height was debated at length with a variety of alterative suggestions (none of them adopted by the Commission which stuck with its original proposal).
Mayor David Boerger said that in an informal survey of some 20 residents he detected a 50-50 split of opinion. Some residents favored greater height for their own properties, he said, and some because they felt bigger houses nearby would increase their property values. The opposing residents, he said, were concerned about appearance and community character.
City Council may approve or reject the proposals but if it were to make substantial changes they would have to be returned to the Planning Commission for rehearing.
posted by bhmcintyre at 6:09 AM
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