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Issue date: December 22, 2000

This house at 1839 Van Buren Circle, the only two-story building in the vicinity, prompted neighbors to bring a rezoning petition to the city council.

@vcredit:Dick Waters

Gest Ranch neighborhood limited to one-story buildings

By Jaime Bloss

Seeking to limit the height of buildings around them, residents of a Mountain View neighborhood successfully brought a rezoning petition to the city council, the first to be carried out since the council created new rezoning procedures for residential areas in June.

The city council voted unanimously Dec. 12 to rezone a portion of the Gest Ranch neighborhood to exclude houses exceeding one story in height.

Of the houses in the rezoned Gest Ranch area, 74 out of 75 homes are one story. The main reason for the neighbors' rezoning request was concern over a two-story house currently under construction at 1839 Van Buren Cir. Most residents in the neighborhood do not want multiple-story homes there.

According to a staff report prepared by Senior Planner Lynnie Melena, the rezoning process required the area be a reasonable geographic unit; an application for rezoning must be filed by at least 50 percent of the parcels in the rezoning area, and at least 51 percent of the parcels must comply with the new height limit. In addition, the Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) must recommend the specific rezoning, and 67 percent of the homeowners responding to a mailed ballot must approve the action.

The Gest Ranch neighborhood, consisting of homes built in the 1960s on Madison and Gest drives, Van Buren Circle, Golden Way, and Miramonte Avenue, met all of these requirements: the filed application was signed by 67 percent of the residents; 74 of the 75 parcels are one story in height; the EPC voted 4-2 in October to recommend rezoning the area; and, of the mailed ballots returned to the city, 78 percent voted in favor of the rezoning.

Most audience members at the council meeting were from the neighborhood. Thirteen neighborhood residents addressed the council; many spoke in favor of the rezoning. The speakers approved rezoning that would prohibit taller houses while still allowing residents to expand their houses outward -- for example, by adding an addition to the side or back of the home.

Several people mentioned a deed restriction on the houses at the time of purchase that prohibited second stories from being built.

Debbie Ford, one of the residents who spearheaded the rezoning project, explained that she wants the area rezoned to preserve the property values, gardens, and privacy of the existing homes.

"Most homeowners knew the restrictions," Ford said. "The neighborhood had a moratorium for the last 30 years banning second stories."

Marvin Anderson said he was the original owner of his house and had raised three children in the 2,600-square-foot home. "Anyone who needs more space than that is looking in the wrong place," he said.

Three people spoke against the rezoning, stating they would like the option to increase the space of their home in whatever manner they wanted.

Ron Patrick, who lives on the outskirts of the area, said that in the long run, allowing two-story homes would make for a "more beautiful, more useful, more valuable neighborhood."

The council deliberated briefly, making it clear to audience members that although the neighborhood support for the rezoning was overwhelming, the ultimate decision in the matter belonged to the council.

Council member Nancy Noe voted in favor of the rezoning to "maintain the character that the neighborhood finds desirable," she said, mentioning that the discussion of a two-story home being attractive or appealing depends on the overall location. "It may fit in one place, but not in another."

The city has received calls about rezoning from other community members, Melena said, but no other applications have been submitted for consideration.

Council member Ralph Faravelli was absent from the meeting.