Chapter 17.100

The purpose of this chapter is to set standards for the development of cottage home developments to provide additional housing options and opportunities, while ensuring such housing remains compatible with the existing neighborhood and consistent with the General Plan. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

Cottage housing developments are a type of infill development intended to provide smallscale, clustered housing units on a single parcel without the need for subdivision that are comparable in scale and intensity to single-unit residential development, thereby minimizing the impact on adjacent low-density residential uses. The provisions of this chapter are intended to implement the policies of the General Plan and Housing Element which encourage the development of housing types for all economic segments of the community, to provide a variety of housing types, and to achieve the following objectives. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

• A. Promote a variety of housing choices to meet the needs of a population diverse in age, income, household composition, and individual needs;

• B. Provide opportunities for more affordable housing choices within single-unit neighborhoods and the community;

• C. Encourage the creation of usable open space;

• D. Promote neighborhood interaction and safety through design;

• E. Ensure compatibility with neighboring land uses and surrounding properties; and

• F. Provide opportunities for infill development that support the Town's growth management goal of more efficient use of land.

Cottage home developments consist of two (2) or more cottage home units on a parcel, which shall be allowed in the Surrounding Residential (SR), Village Residential (VR), and Medium Density Residential (MDR) zoning districts and subject to the permit requirements established in Article 2 (Zones, Allowable Uses, and Development Standards), when in compliance with the requirements of this section. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

In the event that a requirement included in this chapter conflicts with another provision of this Code, the requirement included in this chapter shall control. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

The following requirements apply to cottage home developments.

• A. Density. The density of the development shall be consistent with the density allowed by the General Plan land use and zoning designations of the parcel, except that studio and one-bedroom cottages that are five hundred (500) square feet or less shall be counted for the purposes of density, development impact fees, and capacity fees as 0.5 of a unit. The number of dwelling units allowed in a cottage home development shall be determined by the allowed density of the parcel and compliance with the other requirements of this Code. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

• B. Existing Development. A cottage home development should not be constructed

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on a site that includes an accessory dwelling unit, duplex, triplex, or apartment building. If any of these uses exist in the site, they shall be incorporated into the cottage home development and comply with the requirements of this section. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

• C. Accessory Dwelling Units. The intent of these regulations is to allow multiple residential units on sites where only one (1) residential unit would normally be allowed. As such, the Town will consider the second cottage home and third cottage home (if any) as the allowed ADU(s) for the parcel. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

• D. Rental Term. A cottage home shall not be rented for a term of less than thirty (30) consecutive days. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

• E. Site Plan and Design Review. Site Plan and Design Review approval is required for all cottage home developments, which shall be in addition to the permit requirements included in Article 2 (Zones, Allowable Uses, and Development Standards). [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

Cottage home developments shall comply with the following site layout requirements:

• A. Street Frontage. A minimum of fifty (50) percent of the cottage homes located along the frontage of the parcel shall be oriented to the street to provide "eyes on" on the street and shall provide a direct connection from the entry to the street. A community building that serves the residents of the cottage home development may also

be used to comply with this requirement. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

• B. Common Open Space. Dwellings not oriented to the street shall be clustered around common open space that is not separated by fencing. The primary common open space area(s) shall have cottage homes abutting at least two (2) sides, with the entries to the cottage homes oriented to the common open space. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

• C. Cluster Size. Cottage homes clustered around common open space shall range from a minimum of four (4) to a maximum of twelve (12). [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

• D. Setback from Common Open Space. Cottage homes shall be no more than twentyfive (25) feet from the common open space area, measured from the front wall of the cottage home to the nearest delineation of the common open space. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

• E. Emergency Vehicle Access. Adequate emergency vehicle access shall be provided, as determined by the Sonoma County Fire District. In areas where roadways are required solely for emergency vehicle access, alternative surface materials that are permeable and support low lying vegetation shall be utilized where feasible and are subject to approval of the Sonoma County Fire District. [Source: NEW, Town staff Draft Ordinance]

Cottage home developments shall reflect a coherent and high-quality design concept and include architectural elements to ensure combability within the development and with the surrounding neighborhood and community character. The fol-

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lowing requirements are intended to provide compatibility with existing residential development. Cottage home developments are subject to the design and development standards included in this section.

• A. General. Cottage home development shall comply with the following general requirements:

  1. Parcel Size. The minimum lot size for a cottage home development shall be eight thousand (8,000) square feet.

  2. Parcel Coverage. Cottage home developments shall comply with the lot coverage requirement of the zoning of the parcel. An increase in the allowable lot coverage may be considered through the Conditional Use Permit and/or Site Plan and Design Review process.

  3. Building Type. The dwellings in a cottage home development shall be detached and may include site-built units, HCD approved premanufactured units, units that meet DMV requirements for use as a tiny home, and similar units as approved by the Review Authority.

  4. Cottage Size. Cottage homes shall not exceed eight hundred fifty (850) square feet.

  5. Height. Cottage homes shall not exceed twenty-five (25) feet in height. Garages and carports shall not exceed fifteen (15) feet in height.

  6. Entry. Cottage homes shall be provided with a usable porch, deck, patio, or similar entry feature, exclusive of the entry to the home.

  7. Roof Pitch. Roofs shall have a minimum pitch of 3:12 for a minimum of fifty (50) percent of the roof area.

8. Roof Design. Roofs shall be gable, shed, or hip design. Roof decks are prohibited.

9. Setbacks. Setbacks for cottage homes are applied at the property lines of the development. Setbacks for structures within the development are subject to the building separation requirement. Structures within the development located along property lines are subject to the following setback requirements:

a. Front: ten (10) feet.

  - b. Side, street side and rear setbacks shall comply with the setbacks of the zoning of the parcel. 

10. Building Separation. Individual structures shall be separated by a minimum of six (6) feet.

11. Exterior Materials. Materials for exterior walls are limited to wood, cementitious siding, or equivalent as determined by the Director. Single piece composite laminate and interlocked metal sheathing are prohibited.

12. Accessory Structures. Accessory structures that serve the residents of the cottage home development and are subordinate in use and scale to the cottage homes are allowed subject to lot coverage and setback requirements of this chapter and Site Plan Design Review.

• B. Fencing. Cottage home developments shall comply with the following fencing requirements:

  1. Solid six-foot-tall perimeter property line fencing along the rear, side, and street side property lines shall be provided. Two (2) feet of lattice that is a minimum of fifty (50) percent open

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shall also be provided when the cottage home development abuts existing residential development.

2. Fencing used to delineate private yards shall not exceed forty-two (42) inches in height and may be open or solid.

3. Solid fenced and walls up to six (6) feet in height shall be provided to screen refuse areas, mechanical equipment, and similar areas.

4. Fence materials shall comply with Chapter 17.26 (Fences, Walls, and Hedges).

• C. Open Space. Cottage home developments shall comply with the following open space requirements:

  1. A minimum of three hundred (300) square feet of open space per cottage unit shall be provided.

  2. A minimum of one hundred (100) square feet of the required open space per cottage unit shall be provided as private open space. Private open space may include porches, decks, and patios.

  3. No dimension of a common open space area used to satisfy the minimum square footage requirement shall be less than ten (10) feet.

  4. Roadways, driveways, parking areas, stormwater facilities, private open space, and areas used for refuse bin storage do not count as common open space.

  5. Landscaping and amenities located in common open space areas shall be designed to allow for easy access and use by all residents.

  6. A cottage development shall include one (1) or more common open space areas that are designed and maintained for recreation and use by all residents and that include a minimum of two (2) of the following amenities, which shall be selected based on the needs of the residents anticipated for the development:

     • a. Active recreation, such as field courses or equipment used for recreational activities.

     • b. Passive recreation, such as paseos, plazas, shaded seating areas used as gathering spaces.

     • c. Playground or tot lot with a minimum of three (3) structured play modules.

     • d. Community garden.

     • e. Lounge or media room.

     • f. Dog park with a minimum of two (2) benches.

     • g. Outdoor games.

     • h. A community building may be provided for the residents of the cottage home development and counted toward the common open space requirement. The architectural design, materials, and colors of the community building shall be compatible with the cottage homes in the development.

     • i. The Review Authority may approve alternative amenities that better serve the needs of the intended residents of the development.

• D. Parking. Two (2) spaces per unit shall be provided, which is inclusive of the parking

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required for residents of the cottage home development and guest parking. Parking may be covered or uncovered and may be provided as tandem parking spaces.

• E. Refuse and Recycling. When bins are provided for individual cottage homes the bins shall be covered, screened from view by landscaping or architectural screening, and shall not be located in a front or street side setbacks. When containers are provided that serve the entire development, they shall be located a minimum of five (5) feet from interior side and rear property lines, ten (10) feet from the street side property lines. Refuse containers shall be placed to avoid odors that may be offensive to adjoining properties.

• F. Solar Required. Cottage home developments shall install solar voltaic system(s) with sufficient capacity to provide fifty (50) percent of the total anticipated electrical demand generated by the cottage units.

• G. Utility Connection. Cottage homes shall be connected to Town water and sewer. A cottage home may use on- or off-grid electricity.

• H. Common Area Maintenance. Cottage housing developments shall implement a mechanism, acceptable to the Town, to ensure the continued care and maintenance of all common areas and amenities, including open space, parking, surface water management facilities, and any other common areas or shared facilities.

• B. The site is constrained by environmental or cultural resources, and the alternative design would serve to protect the resource(s);

• C. The modification will not result in a project that is less compatible with neighboring land uses and the surrounding neighborhood than would have occurred under the strict adherence to the provisions of this section; or

• D. The alternative design provides a high level of design quality and compatibility with the character of the surrounding neighborhood and generally meets the intent of the regulations included in this chapter.