Disposition Summary

Approve the proposed ordinance amendment to the Principal Use Standards for a two-family dwelling in Article 9.3.J because it ensures equitable design review of new construction and conversion duplexes.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the proposed ordinance amendment to the Principal Use Standards for a two-family dwelling in Article 9.3.J because it ensures equitable design review of new construction and conversion duplexes.

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Background: In the 2025 One Year Plan annual update, Planning Staff recommended the removal of duplex location criteria from the plan (case# 5-A-25-OYP). In response to this recommendation, members of the general public raised concerns about design standards being applied when existing buildings, most likely single-family dwellings, are converted to duplexes.

Staff Analysis: The conversion of single-family dwellings or other buildings to duplexes is generally a rare occurrence. Of the 55 Special Use cases that reviewed duplex requests in the RN-1 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) and RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood) zoning districts over the past 5 years, only 2 were for conversions. Plans Review and Inspections staff shared that it is rare to see duplex conversions come through when permitted by right as well, and the theory is that fire code separation requirements can make such conversions challenging and costly.
Regardless of the frequency of this type of development, the Principal Use Standards for a two-family dwelling currently specify that these design criteria are only to be applied to new construction duplexes. The proposed ordinance amendment expands the design review to include duplex conversions, which ensures a more equitable evaluation of all duplex housing forms. Upon approval of this amendment, conversion to duplexes would be held to the same standards as new construction duplexes.