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6.D. - Page 6 of 13 <br />architectural style tends to be the most controversial style in Redwood City and in surrounding <br />communities, with residents expressing strong feelings about its attractiveness and value to the <br />community. <br />There are often several rounds of revisions prior to Zoning Administrator review. Often, property <br />owners are required to alter the site plan, and/or adjust the architectural style of the building. Property <br />owners often are initially reluctant to make any changes suggested by staff. Within the past year, there <br />have been several applications that were approved by the Zoning Administrator that were appealed by <br />neighborhood residents to the Planning Commission because of compatibility concerns. The Planning <br />Commission agreed with the appellant in several of these cases, and denied the application due to <br />neighborhood compatibility issues due to the size and/or design of the proposed home. <br />Potential Tools to Promote Good Design and Increase Neighborhood Compatibility <br />Based on Planning Commission and Council comments, City staff has been researching tools that can be <br />used to better evaluate residential neighborhood compatibility. The proposed strategy outlines three <br />tools, as well as alternatives. These tools include adopting guiding principles to better define <br />neighborhood compatibility and character (immediate term), considering a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) <br />threshold established by ordinance for Planning Commission review of projects (Spring 2019), and <br />creating design guidelines and amending development standards and permit findings (longer term - <br />2020). <br />Immediate -Term: Guiding Principles on the Neighborhood Character Finding (Time Frame: December <br />2018 <br />Staff has prepared a draft policy establishing the design principles that would be used in determining <br />compatibility with neighborhood character (Attachment 1). While staff has been using these <br />considerations recently when evaluating projects that require an AP, City Council -approved Guiding <br />Principles would provide improved transparency and clarity to applicants on how the neighborhood <br />character and compatibility finding are interpreted and applied. <br />The neighborhood compatibility guiding principles are broken down into two main categories: (1) <br />Streetscape Frontage and (2) Massing and Design. Streetscape frontage deals with the building <br />placement as it relates to the neighborhood context, such as garage location, entry, setbacks, and width <br />of frontages. Massing and design deals with the apparent size and scale as it relates to neighborhood <br />context. Both categories provide a number of design features to consider to achieve the neighborhood <br />compatibility guiding principles. Several General Plan policies that relate to these Design Principles are <br />attached to this report. <br />Alternative: The City Council may suggest that other principles be applied during residential review, or <br />that certain principles carry more weight. This will further aid applicants when proposing an addition or <br />new home, as well as staff during their review. <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcitV.org <br />55 <br />