Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning 5B topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council begins major debate on Montgomery Avenue zoning: four stories by right, ground-floor residential options and a potential bonus fifth floor
Summary
In a long workshop discussion council weighed allowing four stories by right, permitting limited ground-floor residential behind 12 feet of commercial frontage, and a possible bonus fifth story (up to 55 ft) in exchange for middle-income rental units and green-building standards; no votes were taken and staff were asked to draft detailed provisions and buffering/lighting rules.
Council spent a substantial portion of its June 18 workshop discussing proposed changes to the 5B (Montgomery Avenue) zoning district designed to increase housing, preserve ground-floor commercial activity and encourage higher energy standards.
Three main proposals were discussed: allow four stories by right within the existing 45-foot height envelope; permit ground-floor residential in mixed-use buildings if the first 12 feet of building depth along Montgomery Avenue remain commercial; and create a bonus program that would permit an extra story — raising maximum height to 55 feet — for developers who provide 10% of a building’s units as middle-income rental housing (targeted at households up to 80% AMI for 40 years) and meet green-building benchmarks (update to latest IECC, limited fossil-fuel hookups with narrow exceptions, renewable energy acquisition and EV-charging standards).
Council members debated trade-offs. Supporters said additional height could improve project viability, attract higher-quality construction, and produce housing that supports a walkable, mixed-use corridor. Opponents and concerned residents warned about scale and adjacency impacts — particularly where a taller story would back up to single-family neighborhoods. Planning-commission recommendations include step-back and setback rules (a proposed 10-foot front stepback for the extra floor and a 35-foot stepback from triggering single- or two-family neighbors), buffering (stronger landscape and evergreen screening), and tighter rooftop and façade lighting standards to limit trespass. Council directed planning staff and the planning commission to draft detailed provisions, compatibility standards and options for waivers or deeded consent from affected adjacent property owners; no formal votes were taken at this meeting.
