City Council Revises
Pasadena’s Hillside Ordinance;
Stricter Limits Placed On Size Of New Homes
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Ridgeline protection and
neighborhood
compatibility are two key features of the
new hillside development ordinance
adopted in May. It’s the first significant
update of hillside zoning standards
in Pasadena since 1992 |
Significant revisions to the Hillside Overlay Ordinance which
regulates hillside development in Pasadena were adopted by the City
Council in May. The revisions are intended to better control
ridgeline development and correct other deficiencies noted since the
original Overlay Ordinance was adopted in 1992.
The Linda Vista hills contain a large number of legal lots on
steep hillsides which, for economic or technological reasons, had
been regarded for years as "undevelopable". Beginning with the
recent real estate boom, it has become evident to city staff and
neighborhood residents that economic and technological changes have
allowed steep, visible hillside development on these legal lots that
was never anticipated in the 1992 Hillside Overlay Ordinance or the
1994 General Plan.
Based on community concern about such development, city staff
developed proposed revisions to the Hillside Overlay Ordinance. The
principal revisions can be summarized as follows:
- Except for small additions, all new homes in the
hillsides must obtain a Hillside Development Permit. This new
permit is in the nature of a conditional use permit, and will
subject hillside development to more thorough city and public
scrutiny.
- The revised ordinance has language that prevents new con-struction
on ridgelines or in locations that block immediately surrounding
views, if alternative locations exist. Ridgeline protection and
view protection will be reviewed through the expanded Hillside
Development Permit process.
Ratio Rules Changed
- The most significant – and most controversial – changes to the
current ordinance are the modifications to the permitted maximum floor
area of hillside homes. When very steep hill-sides have only a small
building area, with the remainder too steep for construction, the
prior Floor Area Ratio rules arguably failed to adequately limit what
could be built on these lots. Under the new rules, for lots of 10,000
sq. ft. or more, all portions of the lot with a 50% slope or greater
are to be deducted from the lot area used for floor area calculation.
Steeply sloped portions of the lot will be considered unusable in
order to better regulate large, visible homes being built on small
building areas and on lots with steep
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