Amended zoning ordinance for front-facing garages

There were four changes made to Section 53.203 as the petition progressed through the legislative process.

1. Perhaps the most consequential change deals with the threshold at which a front-facing garage would be permitted. Prior to these changes, front-entry garages were permitted if 40 percent or more of the single-family dwellings on both sides of the street on the same block had front-entry garages. That minimum number was reduced to 25 percent, with one exception. The City Council voted to keep the “40% Rule” in place for the single-family homes in the Historic Districts.
2. Another amendment concerns architectural requirements for homes with front-facing garages. Going forward, if a proposed garage projects in front of, or is set back from, the front elevation of the house, the side elevation between the two front-facing facades will be required to be architecturally integrated with the rest of the front elevation.
3. In addition, a “size exception” was removed from Section 53.203. Before the ordinance change, if an applicant could demonstrate that 40 percent of the homes on the same block, on both sides of the street, exceeded allowable size limits, then the Architectural Review Board could approve a design that exceeded those size limits. That option is no longer available.
4. Lastly, a change was made to the definition of “garage” in the zoning ordinance, Section 53.020. The language was changed to include carports and converted garages in the revised definition. This amendment more clearly categorizes what a “garage” is, at least in terms of applying provisions of the zoning ordinance.