MANSIONIZATION ORDINANCE
On June 28, 2007, following public hearings and meetings, the City Planning Commission approved a proposed ordinance to control the construction of large structures that are incompatible with the existing surrounding neighborhoods or “Mansionization”. The Planning Department’s staff reported that current regulation for single-family residential zones is “extremely permissive and has resulted in the construction of large structures that are incompatible with the existing surrounding neighborhoods. The proposed ordinance provides for the reduction in FAR (floor are ratio) in order to” directly address the issue of house size , prevent the worst case scenarios, establish a new base from which to work
for future code amendments and/or overlays dealing with mansionization, and for the protection of neighborhood character. “
On July 24, 2007, the Planning & Land Use Management Committee of the City Council (PLUM) reviewed the proposed ordinance and instructed Planning Department staff to work with the Department of Building & Safety on implementation issues, and to work concurrently with the City Attorney's Office as they review the draft ordinance for form and legality.
On August 23, 2007, Department staff reported, “We are expecting the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance to be revisited by PLUM in September. We don't have a specific date yet, so keep an eye on their agendas starting then. PLUM usually meets every Tuesday. Go to www.lacity.org and click on "City Meeting & Agendas" on the left side of the page to go the full calendar; agendas are typically released on Fridays before the meeting by the City Clerk's Office.”
Consequently, we expect that PLUM will review the proposed ordinance sometime in October. We will report the results of the Commission’s review. If the Commission recommends City Council approval of the proposed ordinance, we will prepare a report for the CHHA an analysis of its main provisions.
Steve Moyer
Chair- Neighborhood Preservation Committee
Member, Board of Directors
CPC-2007-106-CA – Attachment II Page 3
This ordinance also prevents the irreversible adverse impacts associated with the
new construction and additions at the current 3:1 FAR which result in out-of-scale structures that will otherwise be permitted by-right, and further degrade the
quality of life in existing single-family residential neighborhoods.
Another reason for the proliferation of out-of-scale structure is the use of
Buildable Area to determine maximum development potential on a single-family
zoned lot. The proposed solution utilizes the lot area as a base from which FAR
is determined, rather than the Buildable Area currently used in the Municipal
Code. By tying development potential directly to lot size and to individual zones,
the ratio of house size to lot size is maintained proportionally across different lot
sizes within each zone, and the development standards for each of the eight
zones are further distinguished.
New Floor Area Ratios for Each Single-Family Zone
There are eight distinct single-family zones affected by the proposed ordinance.
The proposed solution reflects the differences in the eight zone designations and
establishes a base floor area ratio for each zone, based on lot size. As a direct
result, two-story structures will automatically have larger setbacks than single story structures of the same floor area.
Under the current code standards, setbacks do not increase by default as the lot
size increases. This has resulted in the construction of two-story homes on large
lots with little air space between neighboring structures. To remedy this, the
reduced floor area ratio is tied directly to lot size and is in addition to setback
requirements in the zone, resulting in larger setbacks on two-story structures.
The new base Floor Area Ratios ranging from 0.25:1 on RA lots to 0.5:1 on R1
lots respect the characteristics of these zones and address most of the factors
that contribute to Mansionization.
Articulation Bonus
The purpose of the Articulation Bonus is to encourage quality design of single family homes. There are two ways of achieving the bonus. The Proportional Stories method allows for slightly larger two-story structures by granting a floor area bonus of 20% of the maximum Single-Family Residential Floor Area as long as the stories other than the Base Floor are not greater than seventy-five percent of the Base Floor. This tool will provide a floor area incentive that encourages articulation by requiring that the second floor be smaller than the first floor, thereby changing the perception of size and scale of a structure. The Facade Modulation Bonus allows for slightly larger two-story structures by granting a floor area bonus of 20% of the maximum Single-Family Residential Floor Area as long as 25% of the building frontage facing the street is stepped back from the front façade by a minimum of 20% of the total building depth. To ensure that the FAR reduction does not result in inequitable restrictions on substandard R1 lots, the Bonus is raised to 30% in order to allow for reasonably-sized homes that are also well-designed on the exterior. Both the Proportional Stories method and the Facade Modulation method are flexible in terms of design, allowing the property owner to determine where this area is to be used.
b) Amend Height Limits for Single-Family Zones
Roofs are a defining characteristic of single-family homes; articulated roofs add
visual interest to a structure and provide transitions between properties.
Therefore, the proposed ordinance establishes new standards to differentiate
between sloped and flat roofs. The proposed ordinance lowers the allowable
height for buildings with flat roofs and maintains the existing height limits for
buildings with sloped roofs.
Section 12.21.1 has been amended to allow building heights of up to 33 feet in
the R1, RS, and RE9 zones and 36 feet in the RE11, RE15, RA, RE20, and
RE40 zones, for buildings that provide a roof slope of at least 25 percent (25%).
For buildings with a flat roof, or a slope of less than 25%, the maximum height
would be 28 feet in the R1, RS, and RE9 zones and 30 feet in the RE11, RE15,
RA, RE20 and RE40. A structure can combine flat and pitched roof sections, however, the allowable heights for each section will vary as described above.
c) Add New Single-Family Residential Floor Area and Base Floor Definitions
Single-Family Residential Floor Area . The existing Floor Area definition does not differentiate between the various building types and zones, and is applied to all development in the same manner, unless otherwise stated. This means that the floor area of a single-family home is calculated in the same manner as a commercial shopping center or an industrial park, yet the structures are very different. The existing Floor Area definition also excludes areas such as garage space, atriums, and stairwells that contribute significantly to the mass and scale of residential structures. The new Single-Family Residential Floor Area definition would include such areas that are currently excluded from the maximum development potential for a lot. The existing definition still applies to uses other than single-family residential.