Home Setbacks a Losing Cause

At a time when the irresistible force of a growing population is running into the immovable object of growth-control measures in communities all over California, Simi Valley Councilman Steve Sojka has a losing cause in his effort to require more space between houses in new developments.

Sojka wants his city to reconsider a policy that allows developers to build homes closer together than city guidelines intended. He wants a more cautious approach to approving developments made up of two-story homes less than 20 feet apart.

Currently, city standards call for five feet between the side of a single-story home and the property line and 10 feet for two-story homes. But with Planning Commission approval, the distance can be reduced to six feet for two-story homes.

That’s too close, says Sojka, who recently purchased a yet-to-be-built home in Wood Ranch. Only after it was constructed did he realize just how close it is to his neighbors.

“We’re hearing the whole conversation in their house,” he said.

At Sojka’s request, the Planning Commission discussed the issue. It suggested that the City Council could set a minimum distance between homes or limit them to only certain types of developments, or look for ways to improve privacy by changing house designs.

Councilwoman Barbra Williamson rightly noted that developers who squeeze houses uncomfortably close together run the risk of being unable to sell them.

“We’d all love to have 50-foot setbacks or more,” she said. “We’d all like to live on half-acre estates. Unless you have the dollars in your pocket to pay for it, it’s not going to happen.”

Looking at the realities of growth in the decades ahead, it’s clear that better design and insulation will be key to housing more people in less space. Sojka is correct that there is a problem, but the solution is not fewer houses on larger lots.