Ferndale Zoning Code § 7.30 Single Room Occupancy Housing

7.30.1 Purpose.
- This Section provides for the regulation of single room occupancy (SRO) housing facilities that do not meet the State definitions for transitional housing or supportive housing, as such SRO housing facilities shall be regulated as transitional housing or supportive housing. SRO housing facilities are intended to provide housing opportunities for lower-income one- or two person households who may not be able to afford other housing options. SRO housing units are rented out as a permanent residence and/or primary residence to individuals, within a multi-tenant building where tenants may share a kitchen, toilets or bathrooms. Some SRO units may have a small refrigerator, microwave and sink.
- 7.30.2 Applicability.
  - a. SRO housing facilities shall be permitted in the Residential Two-Family (R2), Residential Multiple-Family (R3), Neighborhood Commercial (C1), and Community Commercial (C2) zones in the same manner as other residential uses in the zone when they comply with the development standards of the applicable zone, are located, developed, and operated in compliance with the General Provisions and Standards identified in this Section.
- 7.30.3 General Provisions and Standards. A Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing facility shall be located, developed, and operated in compliance with the following standards and requirements:
  - a. Except for a manager’s unit, SRO units shall be provided at rents affordable to individuals and households with lower incomes as defined by the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s State income limits for Humboldt County.
  - b. No transient occupancy of SRO units shall be allowed. Tenancy of SRO units shall be for 30 or more days. SRO unit tenants shall not have an additional residential address other than the address of the SRO housing facility in which the unit is located.

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c. Maximum Occupancy. Each SRO unit shall be designed to accommodate a maximum of 2 persons. Occupancy of SRO units may be restricted to seniors or be available to persons of all ages.
d. Minimum Size. An SRO unit must have at least 150 square feet of floor area for single person occupancy and 220 square feet for two (2) person occupancy. No individual unit may exceed 375 square feet.
e. Entrances. All SRO units must be independently accessible from a single main entry, excluding emergency and other service support exits.
f. Bathroom. An SRO unit is not required to but may contain partial or full bathroom facilities. A partial bathroom facility shall have at least a toilet and sink; a full facility shall have a toilet, sink and bathtub, shower or bathtub/shower combination. If a full bathroom facility is not provided, common bathroom facilities shall be provided in accordance with the California Building Code for congregate residences with at least one full bathroom per floor.
g. Kitchen. An SRO unit is not required to, but may, contain food preparation facilities.
h. Common Area. Four (4) square feet per living unit shall be provided, excluding janitorial storage, laundry facilities and common hallways. At least 200 square feet of interior common space provided as a ground floor entry area that provides a central focus for tenant social interaction and meetings.
i. Facility Management. The agency, organization, or entity operating the SRO housing facility shall provide full-time on-site management. The facility shall include a manager’s office or a manager’s unit.
j. Parking. One (1) space for every two SRO units, plus one (1) space for the management unit or office and 1 space for each employee, if any, on maximum shift.
k. Common laundry facilities for tenant use shall be provided.
- i. For an SRO housing facility consisting of 10 or fewer SRO units, common laundry facilities shall be provided at a rate of not less than one (1) washer and one (1) dryer, in addition to a laundry sink and folding area.
- ii. For SRO housing facility consisting of greater than 10 SRO units, common laundry facilities shall be provided at a rate of not less than one (1) washer and one (1) dryer for the first ten (10) rooms, with one (1) additional washer and one (1) additional dryer provided for every five (5) additional rooms or fraction thereof.
- iii. The requirement for common on-site laundry facilities may be waived where it can be shown that a laundry facility open to the public is located within one-eighth (1⁄8) of a mile from the project site.
l. l. Storage for tenants. Private, secured storage space of not less than fifty (50) cubic feet per resident shall be provided. Storage space may be provided in private closet(s) accessible from individual SRO rooms; and/or as individually locked areas accessible from a common room; and/or within a separate on-site storage structure. Where storage space is provided within a separate structure, such structure shall provide for separate, locking storage spaces for each SRO room, and shall be of sufficient construction to protect stored items from weather.

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