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7.A. - Page 2 of 53 <br />ANALYSIS <br />Multifamily Height <br />The ADU Ordinance is being re -introduced in part to clarify whether height standards approved on March <br />8, 2021 for ADUs on lots with single-family homes would also apply to multifamily lots. State law allows <br />two detached ADUs on multifamily lots. The March 8, 2021 City Council motion set a 20 -foot maximum <br />height for detached ADUs. Staff believes the height standard was meant to apply to all detached ADUs, <br />including on multifamily lots, and seeks City Council confirmation on this point. <br />Staff recommendation: Consistent with City Council discussion on March 8, 2021 providing for a 20 -foot <br />maximum allowable height for detached ADUs on single-family lots, allow for a maximum allowable height <br />of 20 feet for detached ADUs on multifamily lots. <br />2019 ADU Ordinance Privacy and Neighborhood Impacts <br />Another reason that the ADU ordinance is being re -introduced is to clarify the applicability of massing and <br />privacy regulations to second story ADUs. The City Council has had extensive discussions over the past <br />few years regarding balancing the need for housing with neighbor privacy interests, including adopting <br />the 2019 ADU Ordinance update. The 2019 ADU Ordinance update included maximum second story size, <br />plate height, regulations on balconies, exterior stairways, and windows. These regulations were <br />established to address neighborhood concerns about the proximity of second -story ADUs above garages <br />to adjacent properties, including privacy, shadowing, and massing. The 2019 Ordinance only allowed <br />second -story ADUs above garages. <br />To address these concerns, the 2019 ADU Ordinance update included the following massing and privacy <br />regulations as set forth in current Zoning Ordinance Section 37.3(C)(2)(d)(i)-(v): <br />i. Limit second story size to 576 sq. ft. when located above a garage <br />ii. Prohibit balconies and second story decks. <br />iii. Prohibit open stairways facing immediately adjacent side and rear neighbors. <br />iv. Limit second story plate height to eight feet. <br />V. Require opaque or clerestory windows when facing immediately adjacent side and rear <br />neighbors. <br />The March 8th City Council motion set a 20 -foot maximum height for detached ADUs and no longer <br />requires an ADU to be constructed above a garage. <br />Staff recommends that apart from the limit on second story size and plate heights, these privacy <br />regulations be applied to detached ADUs on lots with either single-family or multifamily structures. <br />Specifically, staff recommends the following: <br />1. Do not include the 576 square foot maximum size requirement on the second story above a garage <br />and do not include the 8 ft. plate height limit to second stories. Staff believes the 576 sq. ft. second story <br />size requirement is no longer necessary, as two-story ADUs are no longer required to be above a garage. <br />Page 2 of 5 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore <br />308 <br />