Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Larkspur planning commission weighs replacing FAR with lot-coverage rules
Summary
Planning commissioners reviewed staff analysis showing most Larkspur lots are noncompliant under the city's current floor-area-ratio (FAR) rules and discussed adopting a Corte Madera93style tiered formula or removing FAR in favor of lot coverage, height and setback limits; staff will draft ordinance examples for the commission and city council.
Larkspur City planning commissioners discussed on a regular meeting whether to revise or remove the city's floor-area-ratio (FAR) rules after staff analysis showed a large share of residential lots are technically noncompliant under the existing formula.
Staff planner Alex presented an analysis showing county parcel data indicate only about 35% of residential lots currently comply with Larkspur's FAR requirements, while roughly 86% would comply under a Corte Madera-style formula. Alex told commissioners that staff —recommend[s] that you hold a public hearing, discuss, and provide feedback to staff so that we can move forward.—
The discussion centered on two paths: adopt a tiered FAR formula similar to Corte Madera92s, which uses lot-size bands and does not adjust for slope, or remove FAR from the municipal code and regulate bulk by lot coverage, maximum height and setbacks. Alex said the Corte Madera model simplified…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
