Infill Task Force BOC 0505

DeKalb County Infill Housing Task ForceMay 2005: 

DeKalb County Infill Housing Task Force May 2005

The Rise of Inappropriate Infill: A Growing Problem: 

The Rise of Inappropriate Infill: A Growing Problem Communities nationwide feel impacts of infill housing City of Atlanta forms a task force to study infill development in 2003 Residents in DeKalb grow increasingly frustrated with inappropriate infill housing Newsweek: Oct. 22, 2003, pg. 85

Forum on Infill Housing Lakeside High School, March 2004 : 

Forum on Infill Housing Lakeside High School, March 2004 Created by residents More than 500 citizens attended Panelists included: Commissioners Gale Walldorff, Judy Yates, and Larry Johnson and CEO Vernon Jones

Infill Forum 2004: 

Infill Forum 2004 Impact of infill in mature neighborhoods Residents’ concerns: Height Scale Loss of trees Increased grading Drainage issues

Infill Task Force: 

Infill Task Force CEO Vernon Jones established the Task Force and appointed committee members Meeting since April, 2004 (weekly and biweekly) Members include: Landscape architect Developers/builder (2) Planning Commissioners (2) Former industrial developer Property appraiser Residents (including those responsible for Infill Forum)

Task Force Committee Members: 

Task Force Committee Members Liz Beyer and Rick Porter (chairs) Harriett Hollis, Kerry Blind, Bruce MacGregor, Charles Buckley, Larry Danese, Don Broussard, Allen Hord, Marc Farris, and David Rice Wayne Jones and Shari Strickland (staff)

Establishing our scope: 

Establishing our scope Core Values Statement Infill Task Force Goal Purpose of Infill policy

Task Force Report: Purpose of Infill Policy, p.3: 

Task Force Report: Purpose of Infill Policy, p.3 “To support and strengthen all DeKalb communities, we recommend guidelines that will not prohibit redevelopment but will respect the current owners in those areas that are stable, will allow current owners to profit from property ownership as an area appreciates, and will provide predictability for neighborhoods, the development/building industry, and County officials.”

Our Definitions of Infill: 

Our Definitions of Infill For the purpose of this committee’s work, three areas of infill that do not require zoning changes are addressed.

Category I (one-for-one): 

Category I (one-for-one) The replacement of an existing single-family residential structure with a newly constructed home. The replacement could occur by utilizing the existing foundation or by complete demolition and replacement. It includes demolition of an existing structure beyond livable conditions, or renovations that add 75% or more livable space to the existing structure.

Category II: 

Category II Utilizing existing public roads that front vacant land or oversized lot(s) to subdivide vacant land or oversize lot(s) to create more than one buildable lot by demolishing an existing structure(s) within an established community.

Category III: 

Category III The subdivision of vacant land or demolition of existing structure(s) in established communities that require the installation of new streets to access the building lots.

Category I: 

Category I Incompatibility issues Height Grade change/backfill of dirt Tree loss Retaining walls Driveways Curb materials Non-conforming lots

Example of Increased Grade: 

Example of Increased Grade

Category I: 

Category I Construction issues Work hours Delivery hours Dumpster location Portable toilet location Construction parking Enforcement issues On-site postings Administrative variances Violation consequences

Example of Construction Impacts: 

Example of Construction Impacts

Height – Research: 

Height – Research Researched single family height requirements in select communities in the U.S. Found no consistent approach for controlling height of large infill houses DeKalb’s diverse topography Need certifiable reference points

Height – measuring method: 

Height – measuring method Proposed method would not allow the excessive grade change that often results in houses higher than 40 feet of absolute height.

Example of Increased Grade and Height: 

Example of Increased Grade and Height

Slide20: 

Example of Increased Grade and Height Example of Increased Grade and Height

Slide21: 

Example of Inappropriate Heights

Height – measuring method: 

Height – measuring method Utilize existing house (pre-demolition) to acquire reference points for measuring: Front door threshold elevation Top of the lowest footing elevation

Height – measuring method: 

Height – measuring method The height of structure is to be no more than 32 feet of absolute height measured from the top of the lowest footing of the existing structure, certified prior to demolition, to the highest peak of the roof of the proposed structure.

Grade – control method: 

Grade – control method New front door threshold elevation cannot be more than 2 feet higher than the certified pre-demolition front door threshold elevation.

Allowed with grade change and averaging of 35 feet: 

Allowed with grade change and averaging of 35 feet

Allowed prior with no grade change and averaging of 35 feet: 

Allowed prior with no grade change and averaging of 35 feet

New measuring method of 32 feet (absolute): 

New measuring method of 32 feet (absolute)

Example of Appropriate Height: 

Example of Appropriate Height

Slide30: 

Example of Appropriate Height

Slide31: 

Example of Appropriate Height

Example of Appropriate Height: 

Example of Appropriate Height

Pre-demolition: 

Pre-demolition Require more information about the site before demolition permit issued for the existing house Site plan Survey of existing property indicating structures, driveway and [what type] trees Certified height of the front door threshold and the top of the lowest footing of the existing structure Survey of existing driveway including width at the right-of-way line and the setback distance from the sideyard property line at the right-of-way line

Pre-demolition: 

Pre-demolition Location of proposed on-site parking during construction Location of proposed gravel drive access during construction Location of proposed dumpster site during construction Location of proposed portable toilet site during construction Photo of existing house and of the two immediate neighboring houses on both sides of the property frontage

Pre-demolition - current requirements: 

Pre-demolition - current requirements Erosion, Sedimentation & Pollution Control Plan Tree Preservation Plan Water Quality Plan

Building Permit: 

Building Permit To obtain a Building Permit, a builder must submit a Site Plan that includes: Completed Residential Site Plan Review List Proposed elevations of front door threshold demonstrating that it is not more than 2 feet above the threshold of the original structure as shown on the accompanying Demolition Permit. Orientation of new house Proposed impervious surfaces Location of proposed retaining walls, if applicable Height of proposed structure relative to existing benchmarks

Q & A: 

Q & A

Example: natural sloped topo and current averaging of 35 feet: 

Example: natural sloped topo and current averaging of 35 feet

Example: natural sloped topo and new measurement of 32 feet (absolute): 

Example: natural sloped topo and new measurement of 32 feet (absolute)

Existing house over 32 feet: 

Existing house over 32 feet To accommodate infill in subdivisions where houses exceed 32 foot height: If the highest peak of the houses on both sides of the proposed structure can be certified to exceed 32 feet, the current height definition prevails.

Before and after comparison: 

Before and after comparison