Item 8: Ordinance Establishing Chambers Special Area Zone

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Other than the east side of Chambers Street and one block of West 11th Avenue, this area has no internal or adjacent commercial property. The area is almost completely bui It out, with few vacant lots remaining.. Because the area is mostly zoned R-2, it has been subject to a significant number of infill projects, including single- and multi-unit apartments built on the back of lots behind an existing house. In the '1dentifying the 'East Traditional Neighborhood' character" section, below, we provide a more detailed description of the elements and patterns that define the ETN's character. · "Northwest Single-Family Neighborhood"u West of Chambers Avenue to the east side of Hayes Street, from the south side of West Broadway to the north side of West 10th Avenue. This part of the CR project area is roughly a 2-block by 2~-block area. Houses in this area are generally smaller and more modest than those east of t::hambers Street. Some of them have a "cottage" design with Craftsman- derivative features, while others are more spartan designs typical of the 1950s and later. Lots in this area are significantly smaller than lots east of Chambers Street, :',:og much shallower because of the smaller north-south dimension of blocks in this area. There are marginally-maintained (in some cases, obstructed), east-west alleys that run through this area, but there is no residential development and very little existing access (e.g., to garages) off these alleys. Because this residential area is zoned R-l and the lots are very small, there is almost no infiU except for one or two garages that have been converted to single-unit apartments. The potential for significant infiU is very limited on the small lots given the current R-l zoning. However, this small collection of houses is surrounded by commercially zoned property that might potentially be redeveloped as medium- to high-density apartments in the future. In the past, residents have expressed fears that large apartments will be built right next to the single-family areas or that the City will attempt to change the R-l designation to R-2, which could lead to some houses being demolished and replaced with apartments. · "Southwest Single-Family Neighborhood,,14 West of Chambers A~enue, from the south side of West 12th Avenue to the north side of West 13th Avenue. This part of the CR project area is roughly a I-block by 3-block area, Houses in this area are a mix of housing types, most fairly modest in size and including some traditional and some contemporary styles. There are also a notable number of substandard and/or very poorly maintained houses in the 13 Most of this area is included intbe S-CIR-l subarea in the proposed Chambers Special Area Zone. 14 The portion of this area currently zoned R-l is included in the S-CIR-l subarea in the proposed Chambers Special Area Zone. About half this neighborhood is not included in any Chambers Special Area Zone subarea. November 1,2005 Chambers Revisited - Neighbors' Report 14