HomeMy Public PortalAbout17) 10B Discussion regarding flag lots.AGENDA
ITEM 10,13.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
DATE: February 5, 2019
TO: The Honorable City Council
FROM: Bryan Cook, City Manager
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: DISCUSSION REGARDING FLAG LOTS
RECOMMENDATION:
The City Council is requested to provide direction to staff as appropriate regarding the
City's requirements for the development of flag lots.
BACKGROUND:
The City Council is asked to discuss the City's requirements for the development of flag
lots. In particular, if both the flag lot and interior lot of flag lots are to be allowed as only
single story homes.
ANALYSIS:
Some areas of Temple City were originally subdivided into lots that are very deep, but
not wide enough to subdivide into two side-by-side interior lots. A common practice is to
subdivide such properties into two lots using a flag lot configuration, with one lot located
behind the other (see Figure 1). The rear lot is accessed via a driveway along the side
of the interior lot, giving the lot an L -shape that resembles a flag on a pole — hence the
term flag lot. The driveway is commonly referred to as the flag pole.
The current Zoning Code allows a parcel to be subdivided to create a flag lot subject to
the following criteria:
• The original lot must have a street frontage of at least 80 feet;
• No more than two lots may be created, one flag lot and one front interior lot;
• The flag lot must have a street frontage of at least 20 feet, with a 20 -foot wide flag
pole;
• The flag pole must include a 12 -foot driveway with four feet of landscaping on
either side;
City Council
February 5, 2019
Page 2 of 3
Figure 1: Sample Flag Lot. (not to scale)
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• Each lot must have an area of at least 7,200 square feet, not including the flag
pole portion; and
• The flag lot may not be improved with a structure that exceeds one story or 20 feet
in height.
The flag lot and interior lot are both subject to all normal R-1 development standards,
except for the one-story limitation on the flag lot. The purpose of this requirement is to
limit the visual and privacy impact of the house on neighboring properties, since it is
located at the rear of the original lot, and therefore closer to neighboring houses and
their backyards. The interior lot have been allowed to be developed with a two-story
homes as there is no expressed prohibition in the current Zoning Code of two-story
houses being allowed on the interior lot, and are treated with the same R-1
development standards as other properties that face the street.
Since one-story houses are not subject to floor area ratio and maximum floor area
limitations, the size of the single -story house on the rear lot is controlled only by lot
coverage and setbacks. Applicants have the option of building a single -story house on
the interior lot, but typically build two stories to maximize the development potential of
the lot.
Some cities have chosen to prohibit flag lot subdivisions as a means of preventing
additional units from being built in single-family neighborhoods and/or preventing
houses from being built at the rear of the lot. A potential unintended consequence of this
approach is that the property owner is then left with one large lot instead of two smaller
City Council
February 5, 2019
Page 3 of 3
lots. A larger lot can accommodate larger structures than a typical lot, including single -
story houses that are not subject to floor area ratio or maximum floor area limits and
controlled only by lot coverage and setbacks.
As part of the ongoing comprehensive Zoning Code update, staff has discussed the
issue of flag lot subdivisions with the General Plan Advisory Committee and Planning
Commission. Through this process, the Planning Commission directed staff to move
forward with a draft Zoning Code that would reduce the minimum required lot width for a
flag lot subdivision from 80 feet to 70 feet, so that the front lot would have a width of 50
feet consistent with the minimum width for other R-1 lots.
As the City goes through the Zoning Code update, it would be timely to receive direction
as to the any desire to amend the manner in which flag lots are developed. The
concept of allowing both segments of a flag lot to be built only as single story houses is
a policy consideration that would require Council direction.
CITY STRATEGIC GOALS:
This item is consistent with the City Strategic Goals of Quality of Life and Economic
Development.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item has no impact on the Fiscal Year 2018-19 City Budget.
ATTACHMENT:
Examples of single story flag lot developments and two-story flag lot developments
ATTACHMENT A
FLAG LOTS
Temple City
January 30, 2019
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