Does renovation of our fire station require changing our R-1 residential zone to "mixed use"?
Updates are in reverse chronological order.
June 25, 2021. During the June 16, 2021 Planning Commission meeting, all Commissioners indicated that they favored adopting the staff proposal to add fire stations as a conditional use to the R-1 zoning district. Most of the questions that we posed in our June 15, 2021 letter were not addressed, such as whether the change would subject the R-1 zoning district to state mandates for permitting and development of multifamily dwellings, ADUs, or other high intensity uses that are presently not allowed. A formal vote was deferred until an arborist report could be obtained. Discussion is expected to resume on July 7, so there is still an opportunity to have your voice heard.
June 15, 2021. On June 16, 2021, the Planning Commission will hear a revised zoning amendment proposal that would allow fire stations in R-1 zones. Read our June 15 Letter to the Planning Commission arguing that rezoning the property to Administrative-Professional is a better solution and seeking clarification on a number of important questions, such as whether the proposed ordinance change would subject what are currently single-family residential areas to state mandates for multifamily housing. Follow the link below to learn more about zoning issues and the original proposal.
March 2021. On March 17, 2021, the Planning Commission heard an application by the Woodside Fire Protection District to renovate, upgrade and expand its existing fire station on Portola Road. The station is located in an R-1 zoning district and has been for nearly 50 years. Because the fire station’s long-standing use does not literally fall within the permitted uses in the R-1 zoning district, the Planning Department proposed amending the Municipal Code to add “public buildings” as a permitted conditional use in the R-1 residential zone.
After preliminary review, three commissioners favored accepting the broadly worded change. One commissioner questioned the necessity for an amendment that broadly encompasses any “public building” as opposed to a narrower exception for fire stations. The Planning Commission asked the Planning and Building Department to consider alternative approaches to resolve the non-conforming status of Fire Station #8 in its current R-1 zoning district.
Under our zoning ordinance, the fire station would qualify as a principal use in the Administrative-Professional (A-P) zone. The A-P zone currently includes parcels immediately across Portola Road from Fire Station #8. Rezoning the fire station’s parcel at 135 Portola Road from R-1 to A-P would resolve its non-conforming status, would make the fire station’s zoning consistent with that of its immediate neighbors, and would obviate any need to expand the scope of currently permitted uses within the R-1 zone.
PVNU believes rezoning 135 Portola Road from R-1 to A-P is a more prudent and preferable means to resolve the fire station's non-conforming use.
PVNU has asked the Building and Planning Department whether there is any reason not to rezone 135 Portola Road to A-P status, and are awaiting its response.