City staff planners worked laboriously to bring several sections of the housing ordinances up to date and in line with the trend of building larger homes.

"We're modernizing the codes and making them more user-friendly," said staff planner John Livingstone. "A lot of the codes are outdated and have not been updated since the early 1990s."

Effective late summer, the policy requiring a 1.5 percent reduction in floor area per foot that exceeds the 18 feet—the height which can be approved by city staff—will be eliminated from the books. Staff planners also decided to do away with sections allowing the creation of commercial parking lots in residential areas and eliminated setback rules that forced residents to increase setbacks by a foot for each foot over the 18-foot limit.

To counter these deletions, planners made a number of additions to the guidelines, which include making exceptions to the height requirement. According to Livingstone, staff and the planning commission have the authority to accept a height greater than the allowed maximum 26 feet if it is consistent with the architectural style. For example, staff may grant exceptions for homes categorized as having Queen Anne characteristics—steeply pitched, triangular roofs and large gables.

"It's difficult to set limits on classic homes," Livingstone said. "We don't want to change their uniqueness."

Other changes include increasing the height limitation for accessory structures, such as gazebos, from the original 12 feet to 15 feet. However, staff and planning commissioners may approve heights up to 20 feet for such a structure if it is deemed compatible with the neighborhood.

In the application process, residents must include detailed information about existing and proposed fencing projects, roof plans showing ridges and skylights, landscape designs and a written statement describing how the proposed project is consistent with the city's policies.

Once a plan is approved, staff must distribute notices to residents within a 250-foot radius, as opposed to the original "10 closest neighbors" rule.

Livingstone said the number of houses that will be reached depends on the size of the lot. For example, an area that is approximately 200 feet wide might include 14 homes, while an 800-foot-wide lot in the hillside area might include seven to 10 properties.

Residents will also now have an extra five days beyond the initial 10 days to comment on a project.

"We wanted to be extra conservative in giving residents time to respond," Livingstone said. "Some people may be busy with work or be away on vacation. Those people may have concerns about specific projects."

Jill Hunter, chairwoman of the planning commission, said she agrees that these changes reflect what many homeowners are doing with their properties.

"People are continuing to build large houses," she said. "They will go as far as they can."

Livingstone added that homes that are 3,000 square feet were considered spacious in the mid-1980s, whereas homes today are typically twice that size and include basements.