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SR-062877-10ESanta Monica, California, May 16, 1977 I ~ ~ p77 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: City Staff SUBJECT: Planning Commission Recommendations for Definition of Floor Area Introduction This report transmits the Planning Commission"s recommendation that the Zoning Ordinance be amended to include a definition of adjusted floor area and substitute this term in lieu of the present term, gross floor area, in computing parking for com- mercial and industrial buildings. It also eliminates certain sections relating to authority of the Zoning Administrator. Background The Zoning Ordinance provides that commercial and industrial buildings be computed on the basis of gross floor area. As there is no definition of gross floor area, its exact meaning was recently questioned. In order to avoid future uncertainty of the area of a building to be computed for parking purposes, the Commission recommends that in lieu of the term gross floor area, the phase adjusted floor area be used and officially de- fined as follows: ADJUSTED FLOOR AREA. Adjusted Floor Area refers to net floor space in a structure including restrooms, lounges, kitchens, partitions, storage areas, in- terior and exterior hallways and corridors and the like but not including exterior and load bearing walls, stairways and stairwells, elevators and shafts. ®I-- aun 2 s is~9 To: Mayor and City Council - 2 - May 16, 1977 The Commission further recommends that Section 9129F, setting forth the parking requirements for commercial and industrial buildings, be amended to reflect adjusted floor area rather than the present gross floor area. The effect of this change would be a slight increase in the parking for-some commercial and industrial buildings since ha11- ways and corridors would .now be counted as floor area. Past interpretations have excluded interior corridors and hallways from computation. A third recommendation is removal of Sections 9129F1a through 9129F1a4 which would allow the Zoning Administrator to reduce parking requirements without a public hearing or notification. These sections have never been used, are contrary to good zoning practice and the public interest and should be eliminated. The variance procedures provide ample means for reducing parking re- quirements in the event that it is necessary or justified. Alternatives Section 9149C3 provides that the City Council may, by ordinance, effect such amendment, or any portion thereof, recommended by the Planning Commission. The Council, therefore, has the alterna- tives of rejecting .any part of the Commission's recommendations. Recommendation In view of the improvements to be accomplished by the proposed changes, it is respectfully recommended that the City Council accept the recommendations of the Commission and direct the City To: Mayor and City Council - 3 - May 16, 1977 Attorney to prepare the necessary ordinance and return it for consideration in the usual course of procedures. Prepared by: J. Lunsford JWL:bt Attachment G-'' . e e. 1~e•. 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The City Planning Commission of the City of Santa Monica having declared its intention to amend Chap- ter 1, Article IX of the Santa Monica Municipal Code relating to the calculation of parking re- quirements for commercial buildings and a Public Hearing having beeen held on the matter on April 4, 1977, hereby finds as follows: 1. The present term "gross floor area" as used in Section 9129F is not specifically defined and the author- ity of the City Planning Commission to interpret it to mean less than total floor area has been questioned. 2. Administration of the Zoning Ordinance would be improved by the adoption of a precise definition and determination as to the measurement of the floor area for commercial and industrial buildings. 3. Sections 9129F1a through 9129F1a4 re- lating to authority of the Zoning Ad- ministrator are not in accordance with the Public Interest or good zoning prac- tice and should be removed. 4. The proposed Amendments would accomplish the above and public necessity, public convenience, general welfare and good zoning practice require their adoption. SECTION 2. The City Planning Commission of the City of Santa Monica therefore recommends that the Honorable City Council amend Sections 9102 and 9129F of Chapter 1, Article IX of the Santa P4onica Municipal Code by the addition of a definition of "Adjusted Floor Area" to Section 9102, Definitions and Standards and the substitution of the phrase "Adjusted Floor Area" for the term "Gross Floor Area" as used in Section 9129F, "Adjusted Floor Area", to be defined as follows: ADJUSTED FLOOR AREA. Adjusted Floor Area re- fers to net floor space in a structure includ- ing restrooms, lounges,. kitchens, partitions, storage areas, interior-and exterior hallways and corridors and the like but not including exterior and load bearing walls, stairways and stairwells, elevators and shafts. SECTION 3. The City Planning Commission further recommends that Sections 9129F1a through 9129F1a4 be deleted in their entirety. SECTION 4. The Chairman is authorized to sign and the Secretary to certify to the adoption of these recommendations and transmit the same to the Santa L9onica City Council. DATED: This 4th day of April, 1977 a - //(fit /Li~//G~^ DONALD G. MALCOLM 'E airman City Planning Commission City of Santa Monica -1- (continued) I, James Lunsford, Secretary of the City Planning Commission of the City of Santa Monica, hereby certify that the above recommendations were approved by the Planning Commission by the following vote: AYES: Commissioners Gould, Katz, Lonsinger, Schneider, Malcolm NOES: None ABSENT: Commissioners Hotchkiss, Savage f~l ES W. LU_ ~RD, Secretary Jf!7L~ j s -2-