City revises zoning ordinance on gross floor area

In a move that City Council members say will make it easier for developers and city staff to interpret the city’s zoning ordinance, Menlo Park has revised the definition of how it calculates a project’s gross floor area.

The change applies to commercial, industrial and most multi-unit residential developments.

Broadly defined, gross floor area is the amount of floor space in a building, measured in square feet. Historically, the city has calculated it by totaling the floor space on each floor of a building, exempting certain portions for various reasons.

The city’s zoning code sets limits on the amount of floor area a building can contain.

The council decided to revise the ordinance in spring 2007, when confusion arose over how gross floor area was calculated. The ordinance was vague on the issue, with its interpretation left to the discretion of the planning department, according to City Attorney Bill McClure.

The Planning Commission drafted the new ordinance in 10 public hearings over nearly two years. In a 3-2 vote, with councilmen Andy Cohen and John Boyle dissenting, the council adopted the new ordinance with significant changes to the commission’s draft — a move that rankled commissioners, including chair Henry Riggs, who argued that the council was running afoul of public process.

Mr. Cohen contended that the commission had run afoul of the council’s direction, saying its proposal was too lenient on developers. Mr. Boyle wanted to approve the commission’s recommendation without changes.

Under the new ordinance, up to 1 percent of a building’s floor area may be exempted for machinery stored indoors, with up to 3 percent exempted for being deemed “non-usable.”

In a unanimous (7-0) vote, the commission had recommended up to a 5 percent exemption for “non-useable” space, and suggested that elevators and stairwells be counted on only one floor — language the council deleted from the final draft.