Courtyard Housing Case Study and Policy Analysis – A Housing Crisis Response
The California housing crisis, most acute in the San Francisco Bay Area, requires creative and sensible approaches to land use planning, including architectural solutions that enhance community environments while providing diverse housing sizes and types for a diverse population.
Arnold Mammarella, Architecture + Consulting provides local government and others interested in solving the housing crisis with in-depth knowledge of housing design and housing types, their application in solving real life problems, and policy guidance. In the housing crisis situation consideration is given to how the housing market and land use policy are both mostly bifurcated between single family homes and large apartment blocks and how this does a deep disservice to the population. Housing alternatives that promote quality housing, diverse types of housing for varied household formations and sizes, more affordable housing, and more homeownership are needed. This case study and policy analysis looks at housing types that can be created at moderate densities in existing low-density neighborhoods without ruining the character or quality of the existing neighborhoods.
The largest land reservoir in urban and suburban cities suitable for additional housing is property zoned for single family neighborhoods. Some cities, such as Palo Alto (the setting for this study) have many large lots (12,000 to 20,000 square feet) among smaller lots (6,000 square feet or sometimes less). Turnover is common in these neighborhoods with older small homes torn down and replaced by larger homes regardless of lot size. Even with very large lots, two or three times the minimum allowed lot size, development only yields one very large home given existing regulations and market response. Opportunities are not provided in the land use planning to allow nor obtain alternative responses.
Bungalow Court style housing on large interior lots supporting up to 6 small homes per lot and Courtyard Housing on large corner lots supporting up to 8 units would provide opportunities to substantially increase relatively more affordable, quality housing that fits the scale and ambiance of the existing single family environment and allows for developer return on investment. The test case is a 15,000 square foot corner lot where a single large house was proposed at a density of 2.9 du/acre. The study shows how Courtyard Housing can achieve 8 units, 23.2 du/acre, with a building lower in height, generally similar in mass and scale, and equivalent in architectural character to the single-family home. The study shows the neighborhood setting enhanced with quality dwellings created. In the study dwellings range from 883 square feet to 1,510 square feet, averaging1,227 square feet, and are designed to be suitable for various households and families.
Essential to policies allowing substantial additional density in existing single-family neighborhoods is the need to require the design of housing compatible with the existing single-family homes and neighborhood. Certain housing types and design approaches work for this objective while others do not. Also, a review process is needed to ensure that the neighborhood setting is protected. Such an approach requires thoughtful design with local regulations and review processes, and is set apart from the present, misguided approach in state law that allows for multifamily housing to be built without any use of local discretion at the project review level on the design approach or character of the housing. The Courtyard Housing test case design was presented with a white paper outlining policy reasoning, possible regulations, and case study analysis.
