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CLK-Pamela Aguilar -om: Rachel Holt <rachelholt97@gmail.com> .lent: Saturday, March 9, 2019 6:03 PM To: GRP -City Council Subject: Proposed working plan for Planning Commission Attachments: Strategies for Preserving Neighborhoods in R1 and RH.pdf Mayor Bain and councilmembers- I am writing you this evening to ask that you review the attached document and please consider including all of the steps that are outlined in the working plan for Planning Commission over the next two years. I believe you are well aware of the legitimate concern that many of my neighbors have for the preservation of neighborhood character and the very real risk that it will be lost forever due to incompatible development. Specifically in the Mt Carmel neighborhood there have been a number of recent appeals wherein neighbors have successfully prevented incompatible development, but I think you all would agree that requiring neighbors to be watchdogs and then bear the cost and burden of filing appeals is neither sustainable or conducive to promoting community. In the document I have attached there are 8 clear steps outlined that address the issue that Council has already begun to identify and address. I believe this document is a clear outline for exactly what needs to be studied and should be included in the working plan for Planning Commission. On of the issues addressed in the attached document is an issue I believe requires immediate attention, and that is the current ADU zoning that allows for a 2nd story up to 28 feet tall (which is the city standard height for two tory house, and was simply adopted for ADUs) over a detached garage as close at 5 feet to the property line. I elieve that state law by staff has been misinterpreted and misapplied. At the initial staff presentation to Planning Commission in January of 2017 there were a number of questions and push back regarding the overwhelming impact of a 2nd story ADU a mere 5 feet off the property line would be on the surrounding neighbors. It makes perfect sense (and when you look at the "advertisements" produced by the state it is full of single story "granny units") that in relaxing some of the parking requirements and set -backs to allow for garage conversions or new construction of a single story "in law unit" in the backyard, that the HOMEOWNER would suffer the greatest impacts. Allowing a 2nd story ADU at 28 feet over a detached garage 5 feet off the property line impacts the adjacent NEIGHBORS and not the homeowner. Recently there was a neighbor in my neighborhood who tried desperately with the city and with her neighbors to modify what will eventually be a 22 foot ADU looming over her backyard fence. 40+ neighbors signed a petition supporting the appeal that she had intended to file, until honestly the emotional toll that it was taking on her caused her to abandon the appeal. As I an sure you remember, I reached out to you and to Aaron Aknin about the need to dress this issue, as in reviewing both the Planning Commission meeting and the presentation to Council, it appeared to me that there were promises made to the Planning Commission about these very issues, however once the presentation was made to Council it was packaged as "there's nothing you can do but adopt what we have proposed to you." I am including below the text of the email I sent to you and Aaron back on January 17. I will also be sending in separate emails links to both the Planning Commission meeting and Council meeting on this issue, if you have the time to review. I will also send the text of the state law along with the "advertisement"' of what the law would do, with all the lovely pictures of single story cottages set in private gardens. Thank you for taking the time to review this email along with the other documents I will be sending