Local News in Brief : Home Height Limit Reduced
At the urging of a community planning committee, the Torrance City Council has voted unanimously to reduce the maximum height allowed for a single-family home from 35 feet to 27 feet.
City officials said the ordinance, passed Tuesday night, is a response to residents’ concern about the height of new houses. They said 38% of Torrance, or 4,043 acres, is zoned for single-family homes.
On Jan. 17, about 25 homeowners met with city officials to discuss the issue and proposed reducing the maximum height to 27 feet. Officials said plans for single-family projects currently being reviewed by the city will be exempt from the ordinance.
The only person at Tuesday’s meeting to speak against the ordinance was Osmond Burley, an architect and landowner. Burley said the ordinance would make it impossible to design a two-story home with loft space between the main floors, as he is trying to do.
Councilman Bill Applegate said in an interview that the ordinance will have a “no great impact” because very few single-family homes in Torrance are taller than 27 feet.
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