New rules and guidelines for Burbank homes will go into effect in about a month

New regulations and guidelines aimed at curbing the size and scale of homes being constructed in Burbank will go into effect in about a month’s time.

During a meeting Tuesday, City Council members unanimously voted to approve the second reading of heavily vetted amendments to the municipal code relating to single-family homes and guidelines that address concerns some residents have expressed concerning the construction of so-called “McMansions.”

The City Council made some minor changes to the proposal, specifically dealing with granting up to 10% to someone’s floor-area-ratio to the first story of a house. The original proposed rule stated that the Planning Board could grant exceptions to houses on lots 6,500 square feet or smaller.

Join the conversation on Facebook >>

However, the council opted to extend the eligibility to lots that are 7,000 square feet or smaller after being approached by resident Rabbi Shmuly Kornfeld, who was looking to build a larger kitchen at the rear of his larger than 6,500-square-foot lot.

---------------------

FOR THE RECORD

1/31, 4:17 p.m.: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the council extended the eligibility to homes 7,000 square feet or smaller. They extended the eligibility to lots 7,000 square feet or smaller. The story also previously stated Rabbi Shmuly Kornfeld’s home is larger than 6,500 square feet. His lot, not his home, is larger than 6,500 square feet.

---------------------

Kornfeld said that if the City Council had adopted the original proposal, he would not be able to build the addition because the floor-area-ratio of his home have been greater than the 0.4 limit that was proposed.

Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy had initially voted against the change to the proposal, but decided later in the meeting to support the amendments and guidelines.

“I thought about it while time was passing and decided that the strength of the overall effort is really the most important thing,” she said.

The city has been working on making amendments to its single-family home rules and guidelines for more than three years after several residents voiced concerns about large and bulky houses that were being built and did not conform with surrounding neighborhoods.

To slow down the number of large houses being constructed in the city, the City Council adopted the Interim Development Control Ordinance in March 2015 to restrict what types of homes people could build while city staff members were working on changes to the code.

--

Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio