Commission will consider changes to guidelines

Deirdre Newman

After an exhaustive review, changes to the city’s zoning code and

design guidelines will be considered again tonight at the Planning

Commission meeting.

Councilman Gary Monahan was the first to initiate review of the

code and guidelines to make the process clearer and faster. The

changes cover issues like floor area ratios, second-story

construction and design review procedures.

The changes are holding up the City Council’s decision on view

protection guidelines and an overlay zone that the council delayed

until July in hopes the changes would be ready for consideration by

then. The overlay zone, with limits on construction, is proposed for

a tract generally bounded by East 19th Street on the north, Irvine

Avenue on the east, East 18th Street on the south and Tustin Avenue

on the west.

In April, the commission suggested a change for residential

remodels that makes the design review process more efficient, but

doesn’t include as much notice for the neighborhood. This process

involves establishing a threshold for floor area ratio and a

percentage of second story over the first story. If this threshold is

met, Planning Department staff can approve a project without

notifying neighbors within 500 feet, as is now required.

Other changes the commission will consider tonight include

establishing second-story side setback guidelines and adding a

statement that second-story, floor-to-ceiling dimension should be

similar to first-story, floor-to-ceiling dimension. The commission

has not reviewed this statement before, but staff recommends this

guideline to ensure that second stories do not appear out of

proportion or top-heavy in relation to the first story.

With three study sessions and two public hearings having been

conducted on the changes, the commission chairman said he hopes that

approval is imminent.

“I think we’ve worked out all the kinks,” Bruce Garlich said. “I

don’t expect any surprises.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.