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Page 3 of 11 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />ANALYSIS <br />This Municipal Code update and maintenance effort includes proposed amendments to three chapters. It <br />generally includes clarifications of, or amendments to, existing City regulations or processes as well as <br />amendments to ensure consistency with federal and state Law. While the number of amendments <br />appears large, Staff considers all these amendments to be minor in scope and impact. The outline below <br />highlights the substantive changes within each Chapter and reasons for the proposed changes: <br />Chapter 18 (Local Improvements & Planning) <br />Sec. 18.235 updates the definition of “new building” to be consistent with the minimum building size <br />as allowed by SB 9 (800 sq. ft.). (Consistency with State law) <br />Sec. 18.235 is amended to include the same threshold (i.e., the 50% structural wall modification) <br />definition of new residential building that has been used by other departments for consistency. (Policy <br />clarification) <br />Sec. 18.242 is amended to incorporate a new policy wherein minor subdivisions may also pay an <br />undergrounding in-lieu fee. This in-lieu fee option was previously limited to commercial development <br />only. (Greater flexibility for housing development) <br />Sec. 18.242, implements General Plan Policy BE-45.2 by clarifying the requirement for undergrounding <br />of overhead services in new residential buildings (3 units or less). Staff proposes to add the ability for <br />City Engineer to grant exemptions when there are hardships as defined in the proposed <br />changes. (Greater flexibility for housing development) <br />Sec. 18.242 adds an exemption from undergrounding requirements for residential buildings that are <br />100% affordable housing by deed restriction. (Greater flexibility for housing development) <br />Chapter 27A (Stormwater Management and Discharge Control Program) and accompanying Resolution <br />Adjusts the criteria for when projects would need to implement stormwater treatment features, <br />including tenant improvements totaling more than 25,000 square feet. (Policy clarification) <br />Revises references to outdated regional permit numbering. (Consistency with federal law) <br />Adds a definition of a “Stormwater Treatment Project” which includes all C.3 Regulated projects (as <br />currently defined, which involves projects creating or replacing 5,000 square feet or more of <br />impervious surface), and all Green Infrastructure projects, and further requires all such Stormwater <br />Treatment Projects to comply with stormwater pollution prevention measures. (Policy clarification) <br />The accompanying resolution increases the Substantial Commercial Remodel threshold from more <br />than 10,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet or more to require green infrastructure improvements. <br />(Policy change.) <br /> <br />Chapter 30 (Subdivisions) <br />The amendments to this Chapter are summarized in the following section of the report. In addition to <br />those changes, the new Subdivision Ordinance eliminated the Subdivision Committee and the <br />associated review processes in order to streamline the mapping process. The Subdivision Committee <br />is currently comprised of a Planning Commissioner, the Zoning Administrator and the City Engineer, <br />and it meets on an ad hoc basis to decide if two or more parcels could be merged or subdivided. Staff <br />identified the removal of the Subdivision Committee as a streamlining procedure to expedite project <br />8.A. - Page 3 of 88 <br />247