AMENDMENT DISCUSSION 9-9-2011
On 6-7-11 a Congregate Living Amendment was proposed to honor the agreed upon parking code requirement (1-25-11) of one parking space per bedroom for Congregate Living/Boarding Houses. The 1-25-11 code conforms with parking requirements for all other rental units, honors the Oread Neighborhood Plan and was supported by the Planning Commission and the City Commission. Parking exceptions to the standard of one space per bedroom, however, are now viewed as problematic after a study of the impact of such an exception. Accurate data from the County Appraisers Office in 8-2011 and recently analyzed by the planning department is reflected in the following commentary:
The parking code exception of .5 spaces per bedroom should only be granted to a small percentage of dwelling units as it is the exception to the rule of one space per bedroom. The present Congregate Living/Boarding House Amendment passed on 1-25-2011 states that dwelling units that are 3,500sq feet or greater, including unfinished living space can qualify for a .5 parking exception. This translates to include units that are 2,500sq feet when counting unfinished dwelling areas. Adding an additional 1,000sq feet of unfinished living space to the stated dwelling unit size allows 20% of the dwelling units in the Oread Neighborhood to qualify for a parking exception (1in 5 units). The average size of a single dwelling unit in Oread, RM32, is 2,171 square feet. Houses qualifying for an exception would only be slightly larger than an average size house. Most existing congregate living units are 3,500 sq ft or greater, making the exception now the rule. The additional parking required on the street will be untenable and unfair to existing residents.
The amendment for congregate living should read: Dwelling units built before 1950 that are identified as being greater than 3,500 gross sq feet NOT counting unfinished living areas (basements, attics, crawl spaces or porches), on lots 8,775 sq or less, 6 months from the date of this ordinance according to the records in the Douglas County Appraisers Office, and that are being renovated for congregate living or multi-family dwelling, shall provide parking at the overall rate of .5 parking spaces per 1 bedroom plus .5 spaces for every 10 ft of lot width beyond 50 ft.
Dwelling units that qualify for parking exceptions within the Oread Neighborhood should be identified in the Oread Neighborhood Overlay District Map. Additional exceptions that demonstrate special and unique circumstances may be noted in the overlay district study process. Oread Residents Association