City officials are considering whether to make infill development regulations apply to all lots in older, established neighborhoods rather than just lots that haven’t changed in the last 35 years.
Some owners are making minor changes to property lines to exempt their homes from the rules, which prevent new buildings on teardown sites from clashing with surrounding properties, said Joel Strassman, planning and zoning officer.
“They deed over a foot or less of their lot to their neighbor and make both lots no longer lots of record,” he said. “That defeats the purpose of the regulations, which were intended to combat the negative impacts of uncontrolled and unregulated redevelopment in older neighborhoods.”
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New houses built on teardown sites must be no taller than the tallest existing house on the block; must count the garage’s square footage as part of the total footprint; and must conform to the average building setbacks in the neighborhood. New homes built under the city’s standard zoning code must be set back 30 feet from the front lot line, but count only part of the garage in the total footprint and have more lenient standards for zoning variations, Strassman said.
The Plan Commission last week recommended changing the infill regulation criteria. The Community Development Commission is scheduled to consider the issue July 25.