The South Hill Neighborhood Associate is working on a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) proposal in order to preserve the neighborhood’s character.
The FAR of a home is the ratio of the total square feet of a building to the square feet of the lot that the building is built on.
The proposal covers single-family homes in the South Hill district. It would limit the size of the structure to a 45 percent ratio to the property size.
“The reason we selected 45 percent is that we did a study of most single family homes on South Hill and found that the average FAR is 0.39 so we selected a slightly higher number of 0.45 to propose,” said Ray Ballweg, South Hill Neighborhood Association (SHNA) President.
“Large properties would still be able to build to the maximum size, but smaller property sizes would be limited,” Ballweg explained. “Instead of being able to build a 5,500 square foot structure, a typical 5,000 square foot property size would be limited to a 2,250 square foot home.”
Several single-family houses are very large and block surrounding neighbor’s views and light. The new regulation would reduce the blockage of the sun and views in new and renovated homes.
“The view makes every small sacrifice inside the house worth it,” South Hill resident Cameron Mowery said. “If that were to be removed from my life due to construction, my place of residence might lose its luster.”
According to the City of Bellingham Municipal Code, the property owners are not allowed to build houses that are 35 feet high and up to 5,500 square feet in the floor area. While following this code, some very large homes are being built on small lots. The problem with this is that the adjacent and up hill neighbors are being negatively impacted by losing sunlight and views of the bay.
“We always watch the sunsets and eat in front of our view,” said South Hill resident Amanda Jarzynski. “It’s the only reason people put up with our house because it’s so run down!” Obstructed views would not only affect the preference of residents, but also the value of their homes.
“Some realtors estimate that the value of a property with a very good view can be reduced by up to one-third if the view from the property is totally blocked,” Ballweg said. The neighborhood is attempting to avoid these negative impacts and also obtain the historic traits that characterize South Hill.
“The South Hill FAR is undergoing technical analysis by the city.” said Geoff Middaugh, SHNA Land Use Chair. The City Council must approve the proposal in order for it to go forward and be voted on. City Planner Kathy Bell is working with SHNA to prepare a report for the Planning Commission and City Council.
“A positive response from the Planning Commission helps us get approval by the City Council, but is not completely necessary,” Ballweg said. After getting a response from the Planning Commission, the proposal will be presented to the City Council and the members will decide whether to adopt the change or not.
SHNA will have a neighborhood wide meeting on May 5 to discuss the proposal and get feedback from residents.
The FAR of a home is the ratio of the total square feet of a building to the square feet of the lot that the building is built on.
The proposal covers single-family homes in the South Hill district. It would limit the size of the structure to a 45 percent ratio to the property size.
“The reason we selected 45 percent is that we did a study of most single family homes on South Hill and found that the average FAR is 0.39 so we selected a slightly higher number of 0.45 to propose,” said Ray Ballweg, South Hill Neighborhood Association (SHNA) President.
“Large properties would still be able to build to the maximum size, but smaller property sizes would be limited,” Ballweg explained. “Instead of being able to build a 5,500 square foot structure, a typical 5,000 square foot property size would be limited to a 2,250 square foot home.”
Several single-family houses are very large and block surrounding neighbor’s views and light. The new regulation would reduce the blockage of the sun and views in new and renovated homes.
“The view makes every small sacrifice inside the house worth it,” South Hill resident Cameron Mowery said. “If that were to be removed from my life due to construction, my place of residence might lose its luster.”
According to the City of Bellingham Municipal Code, the property owners are not allowed to build houses that are 35 feet high and up to 5,500 square feet in the floor area. While following this code, some very large homes are being built on small lots. The problem with this is that the adjacent and up hill neighbors are being negatively impacted by losing sunlight and views of the bay.
“We always watch the sunsets and eat in front of our view,” said South Hill resident Amanda Jarzynski. “It’s the only reason people put up with our house because it’s so run down!” Obstructed views would not only affect the preference of residents, but also the value of their homes.
“Some realtors estimate that the value of a property with a very good view can be reduced by up to one-third if the view from the property is totally blocked,” Ballweg said. The neighborhood is attempting to avoid these negative impacts and also obtain the historic traits that characterize South Hill.
“The South Hill FAR is undergoing technical analysis by the city.” said Geoff Middaugh, SHNA Land Use Chair. The City Council must approve the proposal in order for it to go forward and be voted on. City Planner Kathy Bell is working with SHNA to prepare a report for the Planning Commission and City Council.
“A positive response from the Planning Commission helps us get approval by the City Council, but is not completely necessary,” Ballweg said. After getting a response from the Planning Commission, the proposal will be presented to the City Council and the members will decide whether to adopt the change or not.
SHNA will have a neighborhood wide meeting on May 5 to discuss the proposal and get feedback from residents.
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