09-15-11 Planning and Zoning - Laserfiche WebLink

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access to quality and affordable housing within livable and attractive environments. Maintaining livability asthe City transitions toanimfiU and redevelopment focus will require creativity and a willingness to coordinate efforts. The qualities that make La Porte on attractive place to live are also making La Porte an expensive place to live. Increasing housing prices creates obstacles for low- income households and threatens to push residents to ---�—unsatisfactory housing options. The inability tmfind housing locally -- poses a hardship for households seeking an affordable home, as well esemployers seeking employees, 1)Encour 8e life-cyc|e housing options in new developments that will offer alternatives to existing and future residents. New development and redevelopment should include more than one housing type, with ordinance provisions for increased open space as separation and buffering and other standards to ensure compatibility. A combination of housing options and lot sizes will resultinadiversityofhumsingchoices—oboicesthatvvU|beusefm| in attracting and keeping singles, younger families, and older residents. Z)[mosider incorporating accessory dwelling units in the zoning ordinance, along with appropriate provisions governing their use � and compatibility. They are common and increasing in popularity in many communities to accommodate elderly parents or relatives (i.e, "granny flats"), young adult family members wanting tolive independently but close by, orstudents inneed *f basic, low-cost housing. 3)Adoptdesign standards for high -density residential development, which may include provisions for building form and scale, articulated building walls, building orientation, architectural detailing, roof types and materials, fa�ade enhancements, and acceptable building materials, as well as site design standards regarding landscape surface, parking location and arrangement, bmfferymrds,and site amenities. 4)Esia6|ish an average, rather than minimum, lot size in the residential districts whereby lot sizes are required to very in width, with a certain percentage being narrower and the remaining being wider than the average. For example, the average lot size may allow uvariability uf1Gpercent (see inset on next page). 5)|nappropriate locations where increased open space isdesired ur needed to preserve resource features (e.g. wetland, tree stand, drainage channel) or to protect compatibility between adjacent developments, allow flexible site design and |ovv impact development options that permit alternative treatment mfutilities