The City Council held a study session on objective design and development standards at a meeting Oct. 1. The draft regulations include limits on building height and view impacts on projects with at least two units. Developments that comply with the standards could undergo a streamlined approval process.
The draft comes after a more than two-year review process. The study session included a proposal to potentially protect views using software called ViewSync, which measures and quantifies how views are impacted by proposed development.
"We're here because when myself and others reviewed the Planning Commission's draft that was sent to you for recommendation, we were concerned it was too generic, that it needed to be better tailored to fit Sausalito," said Michael Rex, an architect and a member of the objective design standards peer-review team.
The draft includes regulations meant to limit the loss of views of Angel Island, the San Francisco skyline and Mount Tamalpais by less than 5%, and all water and natural environment views by less than 10%.
Rex said the group felt like the objective design standards regulations needed to have more protection for privacy, views and historic preservation. He said the state mandates that regulations must be objective and measurable, which led many to believe that views could not be protected under such standards.
"We knew better," said Rex. "Views could be measured and known in advance."
Proposed regulations specific to the historic district would add even greater standards to projects. Draft rules limit building and ground floor heights and the window-to-door ratio on the building facade.
"I would point out since most of your historic district is two stories, that could definitely pose a restriction on getting an allowed third story in the district," said Bob Brown, a city-hired consultant.
Sausalito is one of 12 certified historic districts in the state. Sophia Collier, a member of the peer-review team that helped develop the regulations, said the review group went through the Secretary of Interior's 10 standards for historic preservation regulations.
"So we were able to address this issue by saying 'OK, let's find the math words, and define objective parameters for each based upon the surrounding buildings'," said Collier. "Let's identify the building-specific words and reference the building itself."
For example, massing, size and scale standards would be based on the neighboring buildings to the project, and considered objective because they are measurable. Words that are more building-specific include environment and architectural features.
Collier said ViewSync was developed in 1968 by the U.S. Forest Service, but to use it the city needs to develop a high resolution "digital twin" of Sausalito using LiDAR data and geographic information. It would be fully automated, would apply the city's standards and generate a report on each proposed project.
Funding estimates are between $10,000 and $50,000. The software could be ready by the end of the year, said Collier.
"It's basically, push a button, and it's pass or fail," said Collier. "I really believe that this is the way to design our city."
The draft regulations also include limiting housing styles to four options — house, duplex, multiplex or a "mainstreet" building — and the maximum building dimensions. It would give builders a choice of six different building frontages and massing types.
The standards would only apply to housing developments that have two or more units in multifamily projects, or in projects that are mixed use where at least two-thirds of the square footage is residential.
The standards would also apply to developments in multifamily zoning districts, and projects that utilize state housing laws referred to as Senate Bill 35 or Assembly Bill 2011.The design rules would not apply to any project under SB 9 or single-family homes, and would not negate any density bonus laws.
"I would say the great majority of housing projects that I see apply for it have all asked for height waivers," said Brown. "It's very, very common."
Housing projects that qualify and meet all the design and development standards benefit from a more streamlined review and approval process.
"It would be simply an administrative approval," said Brown. "Staff would simply verify compliance with all these regulations. If they meet that bar, a very high bar, the projects would be approved."
All council members were in support of implementing ViewSync, and gave the peer review group and staff direction to pitch the software to the state Housing and Community Development Department to ensure it would be accepted by the state.
"We need HCD to buy into this," said Councilmember Janelle Kellman.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to review the draft standards at a meeting on Oct. 23. A final environmental impact report on the design and development standards is expected in early November.
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