Preservation of neighborhood character is given high priority in many cities, and is fully integrated into design guidelines and zoning.  Two outstanding examples are Menlo Park and Sunnyvale.

Sunnyvale’s City-Wide Design Guidelines, were developed in 1992.  The focus on preserving neighborhoods is summarized in this statement from the document:

"New development shall adhere to the character of the existing neighborhood and be integrated into the surrounding development. New development shall not dominate or interfere with the established character of its neighborhood. Site design of projects shall be cohesive both functionally and visually."

Menlo Park’s Design Guidelines for Single-Family Residential Development, dated October 1, 2002, state: 

“The Guidelines focus on the following premises:

Communities use a variety of methods to control the size of homes and protect neighborhood character.   One commonly used, and very effective method is Floor Area Ratio (FAR).   Our research to date has identified 110 California Communities hat have implemented FAR to control the sizes of residential structures, and more communities where other measures have been used to achieve this objective.  Those other measures include approaches such as "daylight plane" and "angle plane", which define building envelopes that a structure must fit into.  Because such approaches require more complex calculations, and because FAR has been found to be very effective, we prefer the FAR approach.

Basically, FAR ties the total allowable square footage of a home to its lot size, and in most cities that use FAR, there is a maximum house size for all development, regardless of the dimensions of the lot.

As defined by Wikipedia,


This method of managing home size provides for more flexibility in building design than some other standard approaches.  Wikipedia further states,


In some cities, lot sizes are, on average, much larger than those of Morro Bay.  For this reason, we like the approach taken by communities like Capitola, where FAR depends on Lot size.  The following material is quoted from the Capitola zoning code.

A.	Lots less than 2,650 sf	58%
	Lots 2,651 to 3,250 sf	57%
	Lots 3,251 to 3,500 sf	56%
	Lots 3,501 to 3,750 sf	55%
	Lots 3,751 to 4,000 sf	54%
	Lots 4,001 to 4,250 sf	53%
	Lots 4,251 to 4,500 sf	52%
	Lots 4,501 to 4,750 sf	51%
	Lots 4,751 to 5,000 sf	50%
	Lots 5,001 to 6,000 sf	49%
	Lots more than 6,000 sf	48%

B.     The following building elements shall be included in the floor area ratio calculation:

     1.  That portion of the basement which exceeds the first two hundred fifty gross square feet of a basement, including the measurements of the access stairway;

     2.  All open area below the ceiling or angled walls, greater than sixteen feet in height;

     3.  All upper floor area greater than four feet in height, measured between the bottom of the upper floor and the top of the ceiling;

     4.  For one and one-half story structures, the area of the stairwell shall be counted on the first floor only;

     5.  Windows projecting more than twelve inches from the wall;

6.     Covered or uncovered upper floor decks, and covered exterior open space in excess of one hundred fifty square feet, including eaves greater than eighteen inches in length

7.  All accessory structures other than a single building of eighty square feet or less in size, eight feet or less in height, and without plumbing or electrical fixtures.

     1.  All vehicular rights of way which allow others to use the surface of the property, shall be excluded from the lot area for purposes of this section;

     2.  The first two hundred fifty square feet of basement area including the stairway serving that area;

     3.  The stairway serving the upper floor in a one and one-half story home;

     4.  Chimneys and projecting windows less than twelve inches deep;

     5.  First level decks thirty inches or less in height;

     6.  One hundred square feet of ancillary area in a detached garage;

     7.  The area between the bottom of the floor and the top of the ceiling which is four feet or less in height, on the second level of a one and one-half- or two-story home;

     8.  All open area between the bottom of the floor and the top of the ceiling or angled wall, which is sixteen feet or less in height;

9.     Unroofed (permeable) trellis structures, including porte-cocheres, which are open on at least three sides and not higher than ten feet to the top of the highest portion. Such structures are not permitted in the front setback and must have a two-foot setback from side or rear property lines.

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