Planning staff proposes replacing complex 'tantamount to demolition' test with a 3,000 sq. ft. unit threshold

Planning Department staff told the commission they believe the current "tantamount to demolition" calculations (Planning Code §3.17) are unworkable and do not achieve intended policy goals of preserving relatively affordable housing. Staff proposed to replace that multifactor test with a new "residential expansion threshold" code section that routes projects with units larger than 3,000 square feet to a new planning commission design hearing. The threshold would be unit-size–based (not building gross) and would not change existing historic review, residential design review or conditional-use authorization requirements for removal of more than one unit.

Staff argued the 3,000 square-foot number roughly doubles the city’s average single‑family dwelling size and aims to capture very large single-family expansions while letting moderate additions be approved administratively. Stakeholders at the hearing — including neighborhood groups, architects and builders — broadly supported simplification but urged more nuance: neighborhood context, lot size, floor‑area‑ratio or percentage expansion were offered as alternatives to a single citywide threshold. Builders and contractors warned that too-low a threshold could disincentivize family housing and add months to the permit schedule; neighborhood advocates asked for more protections for small, naturally affordable housing types and clearer front‑end guidance.

Staff said they had already revised the draft to measure by unit size rather than total building area and promised further outreach; commissioners asked staff for analyses showing how many recent projects would have been routed to the commission under the proposed rule and for potential context-sensitive adjustments.