501.01: PURPOSE AND INTENT: — Porterville Zoning Code

A. The hillside zone (HZ) overlay district is established to achieve the city's objective to facilitate and permit the orderly development of property within the hillside areas through a set of hillside development standards aimed at protecting the public health, safety and welfare; protecting and preserving natural and biological resources for the long term benefit of the Porterville community and the broader community; recognizing the inherent value in the properties subject to this article; allowing size, type, location, density, and intensity of development based on available infrastructure, the geographic steepness of terrain, presence of unique geographic conditions and constraints, and presence of environmentally sensitive areas; and optimizing the use of sensitive site design, grading, landscape architecture, and architecture, all to achieve the city's objectives.

B. The HZ overlay district and the regulations contained in this article are intended to provide development that is consistent with and serves to implement the goals and policies of the general plan for properties classified in the HZ overlay district. Specific regulations and standards address the following city objectives:

To uphold the value of the community and the subject property by protecting ridgelines, prominent landforms, rock outcroppings, open space areas, hydrologic features, wildlife communities, unique and sensitive habitat and vegetation communities, and other natural, biological, and scenic resources.
Enable property owners to select suitable development sites on their real property for new hillside development projects founded on science based conclusions, including the use of slope density calculations and maximum land holding capacity, to determine the appropriate density and intensity of a structure that can be built on a particular hillside slope.
To provide for hillside development that maintains the integrity of the hillsides' natural characteristics and features. FIGURE 501.01B1: HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENTS
To ensure the ridgelines that frame the city of Porterville will be preserved to the greatest extent possible. FIGURE 501.01B2: RIDGELINES
To facilitate the protection of existing views from vantage points within public open spaces, rights of way, public parks, and private development from encroachment by new development.
To minimize grading and cut and fill operations where possible to retain the natural character of the hillside areas.
Minimize water runoff and soil erosion incurred in adjusting the terrain to meet on site and off site development needs.
To encourage all the characteristics and qualities of a cohesive neighborhood that promotes a "sense of place" within a hillside setting.
To promote and encourage a variety of high quality, alternative architectural and development designs and concepts appropriate for hillside areas.
To preserve the public health, safety, and welfare and specifically protect the public and property from hazards such as seismic, geologic, hydrologic and fire, including damage to property from landslides, erosion, earth creep, and stormwater runoff, and other hazards in and near hillsides.
To reflect the city's design goals and policies expressed in the general plan.
To require that infrastructure such as, but not limited to, roads, utilities, drainage, and sound attenuation barriers serve both a utilitarian and aesthetic purpose.
To ensure that open space is an integral part of subdivision design. FIGURE 501.01B3: LANDSCAPING
To provide areas where residents can enjoy active and passive recreation. FIGURE 501.01B4: OPEN SPACE AREAS
To ensure that proper landscape setbacks are provided to separate residential uses from nonresidential uses and to allow for transitions between natural open space and development. FIGURE 501.01B5: BIOSWALES
To ensure that the circulation system is a beneficial element in the hillside development setting and maintains, to the greatest extent possible, the natural characteristics of a hillside environment.
To ensure quality development that blends with the hillside environment, and to create neighborhoods that display a cohesive and harmonious form and complementary architectural styles.
To minimize resource consumption through the use of a drought tolerant native plant palette. (Ord. 1801, 12-3-2013)