Are The Hill draft regulations clear and do they implement the guidance from the survey?

Added 3 new definitions to clarify the newly added regulations in Section 2-158.

This section aims to provide flexibility to the regulations if the project meets the character of the neighborhood. Staff did not survey The Hill Community on this specific process, but it is a tool to addresses the concern from some of the survey comments. This process is currently utilized in the Mixed Use Conservation District (MUC) that is assigned to the homes on the west side of Brooks Street. 

For example, a property owner may have a house that doesn’t meet the Building Width Maximum by 2 feet; they could apply for a Site Development Permit where the Planning and Zoning Commission would determine if the house is in character and grant the additional 2 feet of building width.

Maximum Height: Although the number used for maximum height is not changing, the way height is measured would change to measure height to the highest point of the structure rather than to the midpoint of the gable. A diagram was revised to visually show how height is measured.

Maximum F.A.R.: The floor-to-area ratio was reduced to 0.45, which reduces the overall square footage of the house based on lot size. FAR is calculated by dividing the sum of the total square feet of the climate controlled areas of a Dwelling plus the total square feet of all Accessory Buildings (such as garages or Sheds) by the lot's total square feet.

Maximum Building Width: Maximum Building Width would be regulated only in the front portion of lot (close to the street). A diagram on where to measure building width is included after the table. Lots greater than 60 feet wide would have a maximum building width based on lot width at a 0.46 ratio. For lots less than 60 feet wide, a maximum 30-foot wide house would be allowed. Section 2-160 Tree Regulations provides an opportunity for additional building width if the property owner preserves more trees. The following formula is used to calculate the Maximum Building Width for lots greater than 60 feet wide. Front Lot Width x 0.46 BTLW = Maximum Building Width

Minimum Roof Pitch: A minimum of 4/12 roof pitch is required to prevent flat roofs in The Hill. When constructing a new home or new addition, the plans submitted will need to show the pitch on the roof to determine if it meets this requirement

Carports will need to follow the same regulations as garages.

New construction will need to incorporate the following entry features in their house to be in character with The Hill neighborhood.

Some of the older porches may not conform to the regulations so this allows existing porches to be repaired and replaced in the original footprint. However, if the repair includes other parts of the home, then the porch needs to follow the regulations.

If there is no front walkway on the property, then the owner will be required to add a walkway if repairing more than 50% of the house.

Modified diagram to be a Maximum Height Diagram for the house and porches.

Added Building Width Measurement Zone Diagram. The following formula is used to calculate the Maximum Building Width for lots greater than 60 feet wide and is measured at the widest point in the Measurement Zone. 

Front Lot Width x 0.46 BTLW = Maximum Building Width

New trees will be required to be 4-inch caliper in size instead of 2-inch caliper.

Staff replaced this credit with the building width incentives listed in this section. If more than 1 protected tree is preserved, then owners may have increased building width.

Previous Code: Required 1 tree for every 50 feet of lot width, resulting in needing to plant 2 trees on most lots. For every Protected Tree preserved, the owner would receive two credits. Owners would keep an existing tree and not plant the second because of the credit.

New Code: Continue to require 1 tree for every 50 feet lot width, but replaced credit with building width incentive. Protected trees will not count for 2 trees. This means that Protected Trees that are preserved to meet the minimum requirement (preserve at least 1 in front half) count towards #1, but applicants still need to plant the second tree if required by the lot width.

Property owners must preserve one Protected Tree on their property when demolishing a structure, building new construction, or adding on. However, there may be instances where the owner is not able to preserve the 1 tree, which are noted under a. If the minimum requirement of 1 tree is not met and requires removal, then it must be replaced by 2 trees, in addition to the requirement under D.1.a. 

The second portion of this regulation was deleted because it would have required twice the number of trees to replace. The survey offered a similar regulation, but instead of the number of trees it was based on replacing by caliper inches. The community did not agree with that because it could have caused overplanting trees on one lot. Depending on the species, in the long run it could be damaging to both newly planted trees and new structures.

Application & Administration: These are administrative changes meant to provide clarity to the application & administration of the article.

Included additional definitions as needed for revisions to this article.

Building Finish Requirements for Residential Buildings in HR-1

The table lists the allowed exterior building finishes for The Hill. Only a maximum of two materials will be allowed no matter if it is a primary or secondary finish. The secondary finishes allow different materials that are not part of the original character of The Hill in limited quantities. The percentage would be measured by each façade, excluding doors and windows, as described in the Administration Sec. 2-312.  Exterior finishes are not required for small accessory structures, such as sheds, that are less than 200 square feet.