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7A Page 3 greater than 10,000 square feet involving Planned Development Permits. The code was not amended at the time that the interpretation was established because very little multi- unit development was proposed in the R-2 Zoning District. Staff is initiating this amendment at this time in response to a perceived lack of clarity with respect to the number of units that may be developed on lots larger than 10,000 square feet. It is important to note that the Draft Housing Element acknowledges this perceived lack of clarity as a potential constraint to housing development. The potential for new residential infill development would help address the City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for 2007-2014 as a component of the City's Draft Housing Element (pending adoption) by clarifying the zoning provisions in the existing R-2 District. This would also facilitate the entitlement process for new residential development. thus partially addressing the City's capacity to meet its regional housing requirements. There are also a number of properties in the R-2 District that are underutilized, but have the potential for additional units and in fact. staff has been receiving increasing numbers of inquiries in regard to some of these properties. Thus, it is timely and important for this matter to be fully clarified. The City has allowed more than three units on a variety of larger properties with R-2 zoning over the last forty years. These developments include single-family homes, attached units and buildings with more than three units per structure. These developments were processed as Planned Development (PD) Permits (Article 46). which allows for flexibility in development standards for a range of items, including setbacks. lot area for specific units and other factors. However, the PD process does not allow deviations in overall unit density. A review representing a wide range of many of the City's R-2 PDs approved between 1964-2010 shows that the city has authorized at least eighteen projects to cluster multiple residential structures (ranging from single- family dwelling units to single structures containing up to nine dwelling units) on a single building site of at least 12,500 square feet in the R2 zone and authorizing a total number of dwelling units of 6.9 - 16.23 dwelling units per acre for those projects. These projects are identified in Attachment 7. The Attachment 7 Table indicates that the density for each identified project is within the maximum density set forth in the current General Plan and the Draft New General Plan. The table also shows that eight of these past projects have included buildings with four to nine units per building. This demonstrates that the City has not interpreted the R-2 ordinance to restrict development to single family, duplex and triplex unit types, but rather the City has approved buildings with up to nine units per structure. These developments were processed as Planned Development (PD) Permits (Article 46), which allows for flexibility in development standards for a range of items, including setbacks, lot area for specific units and other factors. The PO process does not allow deviations in overall unit density. The proposed Zoning Text Amendment includes revising the language in the "Purpose" section of Article 6 of the Zoning Ordinance to acknowledge past projects and interpretations and to establish clear standards for future development in the context of these R-2 neighborhoods. The Planning Commission also voted on April 20, 2010 to amend the language of Section 6.10 8 - "Other Conditions" to provide the flexibility to allow other dwelling groups in this zoning district pursuant to the Planned Development Permit process. Both amendments, as currently written and as revised can be found in Attachment 2.