P.V. Estates Expected to Limit House Sizes

The Palos Verdes Estates City Council is expected to approve a new zoning regulation to tackle the problem of so-called “oversized houses.” The measure would limit square footage to a percentage of the lot area.

But council members will probably reject a companion measure that would create a city review process to determine whether new or remodeled homes are compatible with their neighborhoods and preserve neighbors’ privacy and views. Officials said such a process would be too subjective and would invite lawsuits from disgruntled homeowners and neighbors.

The council last week introduced both measures after a hearing where they were favored by most of the 60 residents in attendance. Several of the residents said their street is becoming “another Manhattan Beach” because of oversized homes.

Final votes are scheduled June 14.

In addition to the standard ordinance on square footage, the council also is expected to enact an urgency ordinance that would take effect immediately so new projects cannot be pushed through before permanent regulations take effect in 30 days.

The council majority clearly supported creation of ratio that would limit the floor area of living space and garage to 30% of the lot area, plus 1,750 square feet. Officials said this will result in reasonably sized homes.

But there were indications on the council that the additional square footage could be reduced to 1,250.

Mayor James Kinney said controlling the volume of buildings “is a good idea.” But he and two other council members objected to the neighborhood compatibility statute, although it was introduced by a 3-to-2 vote so that it can be voted on in June. They said such a measure would result in subjective judgments. “I do not want to be in a position to decide if someone should have a one-story house or a two-story house,” Councilman James Nyman said.

Councilwoman Ruth Gralow, a member of the joint committee of council members and planning commissioners that developed the two proposals, defended the compatibility ordinance, saying the city was “designed as a garden city with open space” and “cannot let an opportunity pass” to preserve it.

In proposing the two measures, the committee and planning staff said both are needed because a floor-area ratio alone may still result in homes that are out of conformance in a specific neighborhood.

City officials say the oversized home situation, most visible in older neighborhoods with smaller lots, is the result of the increased value of Palos Verdes Estates property, which has prompted people remodeling homes or building new ones to take full advantage of heights, setbacks and lot coverage permitted in present ordinances.

At the hearing, resident Ann Hugh called both proposals the “last-ditch effort before financial locusts take over.”