Updating Residential Building Restrictions in Altadena

In the upcoming , the Town Council's Land Use Committee has already issued some recommendations how to update residential requirements in Altadena.

A five member subcommittee took an extensive look at how to make changes that would make building on residential lots easier in Altadena.

The Land Use Committee has experience in the subject since landowners who propose renovations that would require a permit present their plans at the committee before submitting to the county.

Most of the recommendations to ease restrictions on residential construction, and those recommendations are based on case studies of problems that have come in front of the committee.

The full report is available at right.  Below, a quick summary of the changes is available courtesy of Mark Goldschmidt, the head of the Land Use Committee, who summarized the proposals in a written report to the Town Council:

1) Minor additions of 500 square feet or less would be allowed for homes falling within the prevailing average setback, a way to allow owners of small properties situated adjacent to very large properties to add on to their homes. The prevailing setback rule has led to some major frustrations in the past.

2) Minor additions of 500 square feet or less would be allowed to encroach into a side yard setback if the line of the existing house already falls within the setback. Many houses built prior to the CSD do not adhere to the new setback rules of 10% of lot width for a single story, and this change would allow homeowners to build additions without compromising the architectural integrity of their houses.

3) Residential garages on steeply sloping terrain in hillside-zoned areas would be allowed within standard front setbacks to avoid excessive grading.

4) Swimming pools and spas are currently allowed within the rear setback of a lot, or to encroach on the side setback, but cannot be sited in both. We recommend changing this rule to allow pools to be located in either or both setbacks.

Goldschmidt told the Council Tuesday that the committee also discussed possible commercial zoning changes but did not compile a report on them.