39A - DENSITY APP - 2034 AND 2038 N BUSH ST

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DBA 2010-02 December 13, 2010 Page 3 tandem parking spaces on the driveway to serve as additional parking for that unit. Unit 4 will be 1,480 square feet in size and will have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. This unit will have direct access to a two-car tandem garage and one additional tandem parking space on the driveway. Unit 5 will be located above the garages and is located at the rear of the courtyard. It will be 1,108 square feet in size and have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. This unit will have access to a two-car tandem garage and one additional parking space on the driveway. Each unit will have private open space, which will exceed the minimum requirement, and private laundry facilities. Perimeter block walls are proposed for privacy (Exhibits 3, 4 and 5). The project has been designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style. In order to reduce the massing and to create architectural variety, each building will have slightly different detailing. The walls will be painted in an off-white tone and accented by cornices in contrasting color and decorative vents. The windows will be recessed, multi-pane with decorative cast concrete sills and wrought iron railing on the balconies. The primary entrance to four of the five units will be through covered porches, while the entrance to the carriage unit located above the garage will be via an open stair with wide sweeping curbed guardrails. The roof will be tile in a terra cotta color. To maintain architectural consistency, the residences will incorporate enhanced architectural elements, including complete architectural treatments on all sides of each building (Exhibits 6 and 7). Density Bonus Law Background The State density bonus law was created to encourage the production of quality affordable housing by allowing cities to approve qualified projects that would have units, or densities, in excess of cities' statutory density caps established under General Plans and zoning. The rationale here being that baseline density, in part, establishes a property's market value. By allowing more units to be constructed on the property than would otherwise be allowed under the existing zoning, it creates an economic advantage to the developer, which could then be used to subsidize any gap between market rents or sales prices and the price at which the unit would be affordable to those making less than the area median income. Under this law, California cities, including charter cities, were required to adopt implementing legislation, which Santa Ana did in 2001 with the adoption of SAMC Article XVI.I - Density Bonus for Affordable Housing. Under this article, developers wishing to construct projects that meet the requirement for a specified percentage of affordable housing units may request to enter into a Density Bonus Agreement with the City and, pending approval of such an agreement, may also request deviations from the City's existing density caps and development standards that would be necessary to facilitate the development of the project. Under the State Density Bonus Law cities must grant the request of the applicant, unless it adopts written findings, based upon substantial evidence, that the request is not necessary in order to provide affordable housing, or that there would be a specific adverse impact upon public health 39A-5