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Council asks staff to prepare options to update driveway, paving and ADU parking standards
Summary
Following public complaints about widened driveways and front‑yard paving, the council directed staff to prepare a presentation and possible code amendments addressing driveway width, front‑yard paving limits, and related boarding/ADU capacity issues.
The City of Orange Council on Feb. 24 asked planning staff to prepare options and illustrations for updating driveway width, paving, and parking setback standards, and to fold in consideration of boarding/rooming and ADU‑related capacity issues.
Community Development Director Russell Buenav explained that the city’s current development standards allow a significant percentage of front‑yard paving and that enforcement is complicated by how the code is written. “Paving is allowed in the front setback up to 60% of the front yard area,” Buenav told the council, noting that many conversions and widened driveways technically comply even when the visual effect is akin to a paved lot.
Council members and residents said the increase in ADUs and conversions of garages to living space have removed traditional garage parking, driving property owners to widen driveways and pave front yards. Several speakers urged clearer standards and better enforcement. Residents and code‑enforcement staff also noted limited staffing capacity: staff said two code officers had recently been lost, and that some complaints are resolved through case intake (24/7 system) rather than proactive enforcement.
Council directed staff to prepare a PowerPoint and options that could include code amendments, enforcement approaches, and coordination with the planning commission and other stakeholders. Staff said the options would be taken through the planning commission before returning to council.
Next steps: staff will prepare a presentation with examples and potential code language, examine boarding/rooming limits and state law constraints, and schedule the item for future study and possible planning‑commission review.
