Item 7: Action: Ordinance on Infill Compatibility Standards Code Amendments

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More broadly, issues surrounding enforcement have been brought up repeatedly during the ICS process. Historically, enforcement of building, land use, and rental housing standards has been done primarily on a complaint basis. Enforcement issues were brought to the Planning Commission by the Task Team in April, and an implementation team began meeting in October. One of the avenues being explored is the feasibility of administering an annual status check for the various agreements and notices required or requested by the city at the building permit stage. Car-sharing agreements could be included in this enforcement program. 4.Is on-street diagonal parking being studied for streets near the university, and could parking meters be used there? The potential for creating additional parking spaces on the streets south of the university (generally thth bounded by 18, Hilyard, 20, and Agate) is being studied by Public Works and Planning and Development Department staff. Before winter break, council will receive a memo concerning this issue, including the potential options for charging for on-street parking in this area. Building Height 5.How will the proposed reduction in building height from 120 feet to 90 feet affect the maximum number of units that can be built in the area? How does that affect the city’s ability to accommodate expected population growth? The area affected by the proposed decrease from 120 feet to 90 feet is roughly 10 blocks in size. The theoretical loss of units, depending on the size and configuration of the buildings and units constructed, could range considerably. Building height is only one factor in designing a multiple family project; maximum density, parking and open space requirements, and cost factors influence the unit count significantly. A 120 foot tall building containing the maximum number of units would require about a third of a typical block, or 33,000 -36,000 square feet in site area to accommodate associated parking, service, and setback areas. To address this question, staff used Patterson Tower, a 120 foot tall building at 1080 Patterson as an example. About three Patterson Towers (including the associated parking, service, and setback areas) would fit on a typical city block. The maximum number of units allowed on a city block is about 252. Each of the three buildings could therefore have 84 units. The real Patterson Tower has an average of eight units per floor, so 84 units would require a building of 11 stories in height, or roughly 110 feet. Reducing the building height to 90 feet would reduce the number of units per building in this example by 16 (8 per floor x two floors), or 48 for the block as a whole. It is not likely that very many buildings in the affected areas would be constructed above 90 feet in height, due to the cost associated with high rise construction and structured parking. Buildings in this area tend to be two to five stories and wood frame construction, or concrete podium for parking plus 4 stories of wood frame on top.