220.400 Cottage Housing.
A. Purpose.
(1) To support more efficient use of urban residential land;
(2) To support development of diverse housing in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan;
(3) To increase the variety of housing types available to smaller households;
(4) To provide opportunity for small, detached housing within existing neighborhoods;
(5) To provide opportunity for creative, diverse and high quality infill development that is compatible with existing neighborhoods.
B. Definition of Cottage Housing Development.
(1) “Cottage housing” means a grouping of no fewer than four (4) detached dwelling units per acre, each with a footprint of less than nine hundred (900) square feet, that includes a common courtyard. Individual attached garages up to two hundred (200) square feet shall be exempted from the calculation of maximum building footprint for cottages. Cottage housing may also be known as “cluster housing,” “cottage cluster,” “bungalow court,” “cottage court,” or “pocket neighborhood.”
(2) “Cottage” means an individual dwelling unit that is part of a cottage cluster.
(3) “Cottage housing project” means a development site with one (1) or more cottage houses. Each cottage house as part of a cottage housing project must have its own common courtyard.
(4) All units may be located on a commonly owned piece of property, or on individual lots.
(5) Common area maintenance is shared equally and assured by a recorded agreement of covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs).
C. Applicability and Review Procedure.
(1) Cottage housing is a permitted use in the LR7.5 and LR12 zones as well as the MR2 and MR4 zones. A cottage housing development proposal is reviewed in accordance with a Type I procedure. If the proposal includes a land division, applicable land division standards of Section 450 also apply.
(2) Review Criteria. Approval of a cottage housing development shall be based upon evidence that the proposal meets the definition of cottage housing described in subsection B of this section and the required criteria in subsection D of this section.
D. Required Criteria.
(1) Ownership. Cottage housing developments are sited on one (1) commonly owned parcel, or individual parcels may be created by subdividing the land with shared amenities owned in common. Cottages are for residential use only and may not be operated as transient accommodations.
(2) Size of Unit. The maximum square footage of each dwelling may not exceed nine hundred (900) square feet. Individual attached garages up to two hundred (200) square feet shall be exempted from the calculation of maximum building footprint for cottages. Community buildings shall be included in the average floor area calculation for a cottage housing project.
(3) Minimum Number of Cottages in a Development. Cottage housing units shall be developed in clusters of a minimum of four (4) units.
(4) Maximum Height. The height limit for all structures shall not exceed thirty-five (35) feet.
(5) Cottage Orientation. Cottages must be clustered around a common courtyard, meaning they abut the associated common courtyard or are directly connected to it by a pedestrian path, and must meet the following standards:
(a) Each cottage within a cluster must either abut the common courtyard or must be directly connected to it by a pedestrian path.
(b) A minimum of fifty (50) percent of cottages within a cluster must be oriented to the common courtyard and must:
i. Have a main entrance facing the common courtyard;
ii. Be within ten (10) feet from the common courtyard, measured from the façade of the cottage to the nearest edge of the common courtyard; and
iii. Be connected to the common courtyard by a pedestrian path.
(c) Cottages within twenty (20) feet of a street property line may have their entrances facing the street.
(d) Cottages not facing the common courtyard or the street must have their main entrances facing a pedestrian path that is directly connected to the common courtyard.
(6) Common Courtyard. Cottage units shall be oriented around a central, contiguous common courtyard. The common courtyard must be at least one hundred fifty (150) square feet per cottage housing unit. The common courtyard shall have cottage units facing at least two (2) sides. The common courtyard must be a minimum of fifteen (15) feet wide at its narrowest dimension. The common courtyard shall be developed with a mix of landscaping, lawn area, pedestrian paths, and/or paved courtyard area, and may include recreational amenities. Pedestrian paths must be included in a common courtyard. Paths that are contiguous to a courtyard shall count toward the courtyard’s minimum dimension and area. Parking areas, required setbacks, and driveways do not qualify as part of a common courtyard. Impervious elements of the common courtyard shall not exceed seventy-five (75) percent of the total common space area.
(7) Architectural Elements and Materials. Cottages fronting on a street shall avoid blank walls by including:
(a) A minimum of twenty (20) percent of the street facing wall area shall be included as windows or entrance doors.
(b) All street-facing façades must include at least three (3) of the following items:
i. A roof dormer a minimum of four (4) feet in width.
ii. A balcony a minimum of three (3) feet in depth and four (4) feet in width and accessible from an interior room.
iii. A bay window that extends from the façade a minimum of three (3) feet.
iv. An entryway that is recessed a minimum of three (3) feet.
v. A covered entryway with a minimum depth of four (4) feet.
vi. An open porch with a minimum of thirty-six (36) square feet in area.
(8) Roof Pitch. Roof pitch shall be a minimum of five to twelve (5 : 12) and can include open or boxed gable, hip, hip and valley, or Dutch gable. Flat or shed style roof designs are not permitted.
(9) Private Ground Space. Each cottage housing unit shall be provided with a private use open space on the ground of at least one hundred fifty (150) square feet with no dimension of less than ten (10) feet on one (1) side. It should be contiguous to each cottage, for exclusive use of the cottage resident, and oriented toward the common open space.
(10) Separation of Structures. All structures shall maintain no less than ten (10) feet of separation within the cluster.
(11) Pedestrian Access. An accessible pedestrian path must be provided that connects the main entrance of each cottage to the following:
(a) The common courtyard;
(b) Shared parking areas;
(c) Community buildings; and
(d) Sidewalks in public rights-of-way abutting the site or rights-of-way if there are no sidewalks.
The pedestrian path must be hard-surfaced and a minimum of four (4) feet wide.
(12) Parking Requirements. There shall be at least one (1) off-street parking space per dwelling unit.
(13) Parking Design. Parking lots or structures shall be:
(a) Off-street parking may be arranged in clusters, subject to the following standards:
i. Cottage cluster projects with fewer than sixteen (16) cottages are permitted parking clusters of not more than five (5) contiguous spaces.
ii. Cottage cluster projects with sixteen (16) cottages or more are permitted parking clusters of not more than eight (8) contiguous spaces.
iii. Parking clusters must be separated from other spaces by at least four (4) feet of landscaping.
iv. Clustered parking areas may be covered.
(b) Off-street parking spaces and vehicle maneuvering areas shall not be located:
i. Within twenty (20) feet of any street property line, except alley property lines;
ii. Between a street property line and the front façade of cottages located closest to the street property line.
(c) Off-street parking spaces shall not be located within ten (10) feet of any other property line, except alley property lines. Driveways and drive aisles are permitted within ten (10) feet of other property lines.
(d) Clustered and separated from the common areas by landscaping and/or an architectural screen. Solid board fencing shall not be allowed as an architectural screen.
(e) Landscaping, fencing, or walls at least three (3) feet tall shall separate clustered parking areas and parking structures from common courtyards and public streets.
(f) Parking structures should be limited in size to maintain the single-family building scale, with a maximum of six (6) spaces per structure.
(14) Garages and Carports. If proposed, must not abut the common courtyard. Individual detached garages must not exceed four hundred (400) square feet in floor area. Garage doors for attached and detached individual garages must not exceed twenty (20) feet in width. Individual attached garages up to two hundred (200) square feet shall be exempted from the calculation of maximum building footprint for cottages.
(15) Community Buildings. Cottage housing projects may include community buildings for the shared use of residents that provide space for accessory uses such as community meeting rooms, guest housing, exercise rooms, day care, or community eating areas. Community buildings must meet the following standards:
(a) Each cottage housing is permitted one (1) community building, which shall count towards the maximum average floor area, pursuant to subsection (D)(2) of this section.
(b) A community building that meets this Code’s definition of a dwelling unit must meet the maximum nine hundred (900) square-foot footprint limitation that applies to cottages, unless a covenant is recorded against the property stating that the structure is not a legal dwelling unit and will not be used as a primary dwelling.
(16) Setbacks. Shall follow the requirements in Section 220.330, Building Setbacks.
(17) Fences. Fencing for cottage housing shall comply with the standards in Section 220.370, Fences. (Ord. 2-2022 § 1 (Att. A))