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County removes private swimming pools from floor‑area calculations
Summary
Alameda County supervisors adopted an ordinance removing private swimming pools from the zoning definition of building and excluding private pools from floor area ratio calculations; staff said the change responds to larger homes and regional practice, while a public commenter warned it could encourage more paving.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance to remove private swimming pools from the definition of building and classify private pools as accessory structures excluded from floor area ratio (FAR) calculations.
Planning staff explained the proposed code change followed a multi‑jurisdictional roadshow and would allow private pools to be treated as accessory structures so pool area is not subtracted from potential building square footage. Staff said the change reflects housing trends, particularly in East County, where homes have grown larger.
A public commenter called Kelly criticized the proposal, warning that excluding pools from FAR could permit extensive paved areas surrounding pools and urged caution about unbounded paving. The board waived full reading, found the project exempt from CEQA pursuant to 15061, and adopted the ordinance on a roll call vote (Supervisor Marquez — Aye; Supervisor Tam — Aye; Supervisor Miley — Aye; Supervisor Fortunato Bas — Excused; President Halbert — Aye).
