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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09102020 ZPC Agenda Item 5 Page 1 of 3 City of West University Place Zoning and Planning Commission Meeting DATE: September 10, 2020 Agenda Topic: Corner-side setbacks adjacent to rotated lots SUMMARY: The City Council has requested the Zoning and Planning Commission to examine corner-side setbacks for rotated lots. A rotated lot is perpendicular to the adjacent property, and creates a situation where the rotated lot's corner-side yard is adjacent to the front yard setback for the other lots on that street(See Exhibit 1: Rotated Lot). Exhibit 1: Rotated Lot Cit.of Street Propery L ne Front `r'Mrd Setback ;~--Rear'yard Side Yard Setback Setback ' ,...-..-.-�- ' . Rear Yard Setback Side Yard' Setback distances vary by zoning district o Setback Refer to the zoning dtstpct for spec+fic setbacks (7r. f F '4r Ff = Front Yard Setback Propery Line rb wJL of Street Page 2 of 3 City of West University Place Zoning and Planning Commission Meeting Zoning Ordinance Excerpt: Definition of Rotated Lot Rotated corner building site or lot means a corner building site in the SF-1 District which has been "rotated" from one street to the other, such that it has a front street line lying along a street that is different from the street along which the front street line of the original corner lot would lie. The original corner lot is the single subdivided lot on the same corner, as created by the plan recorded in Volume 444, Page 563 of the Deed Records of Harris County, Texas. entitled "Map Showing West University Place, a Part of the A.C. Reynolds Survey, Harris County, Texas." In the SF-1 District, most rotated corner building sites will be oriented north- south, because most of the original corner lots were oriented east-west (except for lots along University Boulevard or Cason Street). EXISTING CORNERSIDE SETBACK REGULATIONS: The City of West University Place has regulations for rotated lots in the SF-1 District. These regulations require a minimum of 10 foot corner-side setbacks and are increased based on the width of the building site for a maximum setback equal to the front-yard setback(See Zoning Ordinance Excerpt below).Although this only applies to one zoning district,this can be applied to other districts or something similar. The SF-2 and SF-3 allow a minimum of a five(5')foot setback to 10%of the lot for the corner-side setback. One of the main issues in increasing the corner-side setbacks is that for smaller lots you are decreasing a substantial building area. Zoning Ordinance Excerpt: Table 7-2: Yards—Note 3 "Note 3. Rotated Corners. For rotated corner building sites (SF-1 District only), the minimum side street yard width is: (i) 10 feet if the building site width is 65 feet or less, (ii) 10 feet plus the distance by which the width of the building site exceeds 65 feet, if the building site width is more than 65 feet but less than 75 feet, (iii) 20 feet if the building site width is 75 feet or more but less than 100 feet, or(iv) for building sites 100 feet wide or more,the side street yard width is determined by the same rules as the front yard depth, except that the "depth" of the building site is measured from the side street line." FENCING: One of the biggest issues with rotated lots is the allowances of fencing on the corner side of a property. A fence located on the corner-side property line will create a bigger division than a building located at the setback line. The SF-1 District provides a solution where a corner- side fence is not permitted in the street-yard(See Zoning Ordinance Excerpt below).If the problem with these rotated lots lies more in the fencing regulations,then not allowing fences in the corner- side yard may be the best solution. Zoning Ordinance Excerpt: Table 7-6. Note 11 Note 11. Rotated Corner Fences. Notwithstanding any other provision of this ordinance or any other ordinance, no fence is allowed in the side-street yard of a rotated corner building site(SF-1 District),except for temporary construction fences required by Chapter 18 of the Code of Ordinances. POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS: The City has many options that can be considered to lessen the Page 3 of 3 City of West University Place Zoning and Planning Commission Meeting obtuse nature of conflicting side and front yards. Alternatively, the ZPC can recommend to do absolutely no changes, and understand that this situation does occur from time to time. 1. Setback Adjustment for Rotated Lots. a. Increased corner-side setback i. Increase in legal, non-conforming properties b. Sliding scale similar to SF-1 i. Smaller lots are impacted more by an increased setback. 2. Modify Fencing Regulations a. Modify fencing regulations to not allow corner-side fences at the property line. i. Fence must tie-in to building. Exhibit 2: Rotated Lot and Ad'acent Front Yard Setback bitt '.8':.' ' 4.-'0"Ii. 1 ti-. ' .. ''' ' r i M♦ Et t '0. gyp. .*s *4 fr, A o * 1:1)1.*: a Yard t. -,i. il ON It' ul fin, r? 1 xw r` • �"'► .. .,.. 'ro t Yard q Corner-Side Yard " gg 4.. Ai ' Pittsburg „ Pittsburg yPittsburgfSt PROPOSED REDLINE: Page 4 of 3 City of West University Place Zoning and Planning Commission Meeting "Note 1. Through Lots or Building Sites or Rear Through Lots or Building Sites. If a lot or building site extends all the way through a block so that the front and rear both abut a street area,there is no rear yard. The site is a "through" or "rear through" lot or building site and is considered to have two front yards; one at each street frontage. Front yard(setbacks)shall be as provided in Table 7-2. Exceptions: If the site is"flag" shaped or irregular,the "flag"portion shall have the same setback as the adjoining building sites fronting that street. Through-lots on major thoroughfares are permitted to have only one front yard on the local street or minor street, instead of two front yards."