New 'McMansion' Ordinance Moves to City Council

The city council is preparing to take action on a revised planning ordinance that will further curtail future construction of so-called “McMansion” style single-family homes and apartment complexes in Highland Park's and Mount Washington’s hillside areas, and elsewhere across the city.

The original Baseline Mansionization Ordinance adopted in June 2008 did not differentiate between flatlands and hillsides across in Highland Park and Mount Washington, which left the door open for builders to erect homes or conduct expansions on existing homes that, while appropriate for flat areas did not address hillside issues, such as steep grading concerns and height-to-land-size ratios.

 As a result, the ordinance made it possible for continued building of very tall, and widely criticized boxy developments and stilt homes on the hillsides.   After several months of revisions that provide a sweeping re-designation of the topographical map of the city, there is now a clear distinction made between hillside areas and the flatlands, and different zoning codes and height-to-lot-size formulas may now be applied.

 “What we did was we changed the designation of hillside areas in Highland Park, Mount Washington and elsewhere to reflect the true topography so we actually figured out where the real hillside neighborhoods are and where the areas are really just flatlands,” said Erick Lopez, the city planner responsible for spearheading the revisions.

The Baseline Hillside ordinance requires developers adhere to tighter floor area ratio guidelines, which call for varying grading formulas for hillside slopes. And, perhaps most importantly, developers must also consider an entire hillside plot in their designs because the new ordinance encourages hillside terracing (up or down a slope) as an alternative to building for height only.  There are also new limits on the excavation and removal process based on lot size and zoning codes.

“What this new ordinance does is it encourages [homeowners]to force the builders to let the topography of the land dictate the size and shape of a house, not the other way around,” said Lopez. “The hillside areas will play a part in the design phase as more developers of new or existing homes will need to incorporate terracing and using the slope of the land, rather than building big blocks built straight out of the ground.”

Janet Dodson, the Highland Park Neighborhood Council’s Land Use Committee chairman, said her group is very pleased with the revised ordinance.

“It’s not perfect, in the sense that it does allow building on the hillsides, but it really limits it and that makes a difference for us who are really concerned about these huge, very high developments that have been allowed to sail through over the last decade,” Dodson said. 

Dodson praised Lopez for spending what she called an extraordinary amount of time out in the Highland Park and Mount Washington communities soliciting feedback on the proposed ordinance before making his recommendations.

“Erick has done an extraordinary thing,” said Dodson.  “He has altered the way single family homes can be built or expanded.  He has addressed serious concerns we had and has worked to craft a plan that makes this a livable city.”

The word “baseline” in the ordinance is key, because it allows for flexibility on codes and slope grading, Lopez said, making it possible for individual neighborhoods to tailor size limits to suit their neighborhoods, as well as other regulations covered by the proposed ordinance.

“These are the default regulations,” said Lopez. “They are not a one-size fits all rule. If an area is big enough, they can get together they can ratchet down the ratios to better-suit their neighborhoods.”

The revised ordinance was approved by the city attorney’s office earlier this month and the full city council, which unanimously approved the original ordinance, is expected to pass it when it comes up for a vote.  If approved, it would need to be signed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  From there, the city clerk’s office would be required to post the adopted ordinance for 10 days and, barring any setbacks, it would take full effect 30 days later.  

update:

CD 14 Councilman Jose Huizar has vowed to support the ordinance.

"The Baseline Hillside Ordinance will bring sensible standards to our hillside/baseline communities to protect the views and integrity of those neighborhoods for years to come," he said.