• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

City Council Says Yes to Pre-Approved Housing Plans

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 12:00 CST

By Terri Hardy, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Mar. 22--Sacramento is launching a pilot program to offer pre-approved house plans to developers in an attempt to cut through the red tape associated with building on vacant lots in older neighborhoods.

The laborious process of obtaining plan approval and a building permit, which now takes from six weeks to nearly three months, will be shaved to no longer than two days, city officials said Tuesday.

The City Council unanimously approved the program Tuesday night.

"It's a great idea that's been on the boards for quite some time," said Councilman Steve Cohn.

The city commissioned two local firms - Cynthia Easton and Pinches Architects - to create several home plans that echo architectural details of houses in the neighborhoods and fit narrower lots. Complete sets of architectural drawings will cost $1,500 and will be available in May, Lucinda Willcox, the city's infill coordinator, said in an interview.

The pre-approved plans will be allowed for use in certain neighborhoods, including Oak Park, Del Paso Heights, North Sacramento and Strawberry Manor.

They are not intended for use in the Central City, or in any adopted historic districts or master-planned communities, such as North Natomas and Greenhaven, she said.

"We wanted to make it easier to build a well-designed house in areas that can sometimes be hard to develop," Willcox said. "Many people don't hire architects, so we're hoping to have better quality."

Once the new process is more firmly established, the city wants to host a competition to add to the approved architectural plans.

City Manager Ray Kerridge said the areas for the program also could be expanded.

Under the new regulations, developers using the pre-approved plans will need only to get their site plan checked for zoning compliance and to provide verification that the drawings were purchased from the architects.

The cost for the plans is significantly less than a developer normally would pay an architect, Willcox said.

As part of its action, the council made some zoning changes that will allow the narrower lots typically found in older neighborhoods to accommodate approved houses.

Several versions are available. They range from 1,400-to 1,800-square-foot homes and include three-and four-bedroom models, attached and detached garages, porches, and a two-story model with living areas toward the front of the house, according to a report Willcox submitted to the council.

Mayor Heather Fargo said she wanted the plans to allow the removal of a bathroom or bedroom to create more affordable houses.

"We're subsidizing a program for builders, and I'm OK with that because we're filling lots and that's a good thing," Fargo said. "But we need more affordable housing. We need to get real."

Willcox said it was too late to make those changes, but said city staff would look into developing plans for smaller houses.

The city's Planning Commission and Design Review and Preservation Board, as well as other advisory and neighborhood groups, vetted all the plans.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Sacramento Bee

More News in this Category