West Covina Municipal Code § 26-169 Multi-unit dwelling objective design standards

The purpose of the West Covina Multi-Family Residential Objective Design Standards is to respond to Senate Bill (SB) 330 and supplement the multi-family residential development standards of this Code (WCMC). SB 330, "The Housing Crisis Act of 2019," is a state-wide bill intended to streamline housing development approval processes in California. As a result of SB 330, multifamily residential development projects and/or mixed- use development projects with at least two-thirds of the square footage designated for residential use meeting certain eligibility requirements are subject to specific review processes. State law requires cities to approve eligible housing proposals through ministerial processes based on objective standards that "involve no personal or subjective judgement by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant and the public official prior to submittal." The West Covina Multi-Family Residential Objective Design Standards provide clear expectations on the design of new multi-family residential development within the City, outlining objective design standards that allow for predictable development outcomes.

(Ord. No. 2519, § 5(Exh. A), 2-20-24)

(a) The West Covina Multi-Family Residential Objective Design Standards are minimum design requirements that apply to new multi-family residential and mixed-use development located in the following areas within the City:

(1) Office and commercial zones—OPMU, NMU, RMU, SMU

(2) Multiple family zones—MF-8, MF-15, MF-20, and MF-45

(b) The multi-family residential objective design standards apply to site and building design only. Development standards such as density, building setbacks and heights, open space, and off-street parking requirements are contained in chapter 26 of this Code.

(c) If a multi-family residential development project or a residential mixed-use development project is eligible for SB 330 and complies with all applicable requirements of this Code and these objective design standards, then the City shall approve the project through the ministerial process without public hearings.

(d) Multi-family residential development projects and residential mixed-use development projects not covered under SB 330 must also comply with the West Covina Multi-Family Residential Objective Design Standards and applicable design guidelines. The applicable City review procedures would apply to these projects.

(e) The Community Development Director or their designee may allow certain deviations from the design standards on a case-by-case basis, provided the requested deviations meet the intent of the multi-family residential objective design standards and are approved by the Planning Commission.

(Ord. No. 2519, § 5(Exh. A), 2-20-24)

New multi-family and mixed-use developments shall be subject to the standards included in multi-family objective design standards document, chapter 2 objective design standards.

(Ord. No. 2519, § 5(Exh. A), 2-20-24)