Title
Adoption of Objective Design Review Standards for Multi-family Residential Development as an addendum to the Citywide Design Review Manual. These Standards are applicable to all future multi-family residential development in the City seeking permit streamlining pursuant to state law. The adoption of Objective Design Review Standards is exempt from the requirements of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), where it can be seen with certainty that adoption of design standards will not have a significant effect on the environment, and Section 15183, projects consistent with a community plan, general plan or zoning (Continued from the Planning Board Meeting of 9/9/2019)
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Allen Tai
City Planner
Date: September 23, 2019
BACKGROUND
Statewide housing legislation passed in 2017 (SB 35) allows developers of multi-family residential projects to benefit from a streamlined, ministerial review process provided the developer meets certain criteria, including the provision of 50% affordable housing and payment of prevailing wages, among other requirements. Under the law, the City's decision on the project must occur within 60 days for projects with 150 or fewer units and 90 days for projects with more than 150 housing units. The decision must also be based on a review of the project's compliance with "objective zoning standards" and "objective design review standards." "Objective zoning standards" simply refers to development regulations in the zoning ordinance such as density, building height, building setbacks, lot coverage, open space, etc. Meanwhile "objective design review standards," as defined under state law, mean standards that involve "no personal or subjective judgment by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applica...
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