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San Bruno City Zoning Code

CHAPTER 12

116 PLANNED UNIT PERMIT

§ 12.116.010 Purpose.

A. 
It is the purpose of planned unit permit (PUP) to encourage creative use of land and open space by permitting carefully controlled relief from the strict application of the provisions of existing zoning districts. The PUP allows flexibility and diversification in the relationship of various buildings, structures, and open spaces in planned building groups.
B. 
It is also the intent of this chapter to carry out the general purposes of this article by continuing to observe adequate standards related to public safety, health, and general welfare without unduly inhibiting the advantages of modern imaginative site planning and to implement the following objectives:
1. 
To provide a more desirable living environment;
2. 
To encourage creative approaches to the development of land;
3. 
To encourage the observation of and the aesthetic use of open space;
4. 
To encourage variety in the physical development of the city.
(Prior code § 27-12.1; Ord. 1410 § 1, 1982; Ord. 1947, 4/9/2024)

§ 12.116.020 Applicability.

The planned unit permit may be used in any one of the residential or commercial districts, except the P-D district.
(Prior code § 27-12.2; Ord. 1410 § 1, 1982; Ord. 1947, 4/9/2024)

§ 12.116.030 Permitted uses.

A planned unit permit may be issued to authorize a use which is permitted, conditional, or accessory in a particular district. Attached single-family dwellings may be permitted in the R-1 district under planned unit permit procedures.
(Prior code § 27-12.3; Ord. 1410 § 1, 1982; Ord. 1947, 4/9/2024)

§ 12.116.040 Application, fee and plans.

An application for a planned unit permit shall be filed with the community development department on the form prescribed by the city and shall include the following information, unless a specific requirement is waived by the community development director:
A. 
A tentative subdivision map (when either parcelization of the property or a condominium project is proposed);
B. 
Documentation that the proposed project conforms with the applicable general plan density requirements;
C. 
Proposed landscaping and irrigation plans;
D. 
Proposed engineering plans, including site grading, street improvements, drainage, and other public utilities, which plans, when approved shall not be construed to mean that the plans will constitute the final improvement plans;
E. 
A site plan to scale, including the location and configuration of all lots and buildings, setbacks from property lines, parking spaces and circulation, fencing, street improvements, fire hydrants, refuse, waste, and recycling areas, proposed grading and drainage, the square footage and location of easements and other significant site features.
F. 
Proposed building plans, including floor plans and exterior elevations indicating the materials, treatment of surfaces, and depending upon the complexity of the application, additional materials such as presentation illustrations, three-dimensional models, photometric analysis, color schemes, color elevations, and color and materials boards may be required by the community development director;
G. 
Proposed plans for recreational facilities;
H. 
Generalized parking plans;
I. 
Proposed plot plans, showing building locations on each lot, building setbacks, and lot dimensions;
J. 
Where applicable, as a result of findings on site conditions and detailed site planning, supplemental environmental information or revisions to the environmental impact report;
K. 
Any other data necessary to show that any applicable requirements of this code are fulfilled; and
L. 
The community development director may require other drawings, data, or information deemed necessary by the department to accomplish the purposes of state law or this title.
(Prior code § 27-12.4; Ord. 1410 § 1, 1982; Ord. 1728 § 17, 2007; Ord. 1947, 4/9/2024)

§ 12.116.050 Standards and criteria.

In considering use of the planned unit permit, the applicant and the city shall be governed by the following standards:
A. 
Development with a planned unit permit in conformance with the procedures contained herein is exempt from the specified property development standards of the district in which subject property is located providing:
1. 
The plans and exhibits submitted and approved in conformance with these provisions clearly establish that the relationships of interior and exterior living, working or shopping areas and the associated environment are at least as desirable as would be achieved with the strict application of the requirements of that district;
2. 
And that the planning commission finds the other standards and criteria as set forth in this chapter have been complied with. Exception to development standards and other provisions of the district in which the planned unit is located shall only be to the extent specified in the approved plans and exhibits.
B. 
A variety of dwelling and building types is to be encouraged.
C. 
For each square foot of land gained within a single-family residential district through the reduction of lot sizes below minimum district requirements, equal amounts of usable land shall be retained as open space and related uses in perpetuity. The planned unit permit may be used in single-family residential districts, however, to average lot sizes, to cluster lots and dwelling unit, and to provide better utilization of land through flexibility in development standards.
D. 
Nonresidential development is encouraged to make use of a variety of setback and yard areas by trading space through the development of open plazas, pedestrian malls, tot lots, and other open spaces and uses with adequate landscaping.
E. 
All open spaces shall be provided with all required on-site and off-site improvements in accordance with the current city policy, and provisions made for perpetual maintenance to the satisfaction of the planning commission.
F. 
The planning commission from time to time may by resolution amplify the provisions of this section in order to fully define certain limits of flexibility which it wishes to encourage, to further explain various possible uses of planned unit permit, and to set forth provisions for plan approval.
(Prior code § 27-12.5; Ord. 1410 § 1, 1982; Ord. 1947, 4/9/2024)

§ 12.116.060 Granting.

Planned unit permits with a tentative parcel map may be granted by the community development director after a public hearing conducted in accordance with Chapter 12.132. Planned unit permits with a tentative tract map may be granted by the planning commission after public hearings conducted in accordance with Chapter 12.132. In order to grant a planned unit permit, the decision-making body shall find the following:
A. 
The proposed planned unit development conforms to the general plan in terms of general location, density and general standards of development and criteria contained in this chapter.
B. 
The design of proposed single-family and two-family dwellings conforms to the basic design principles of the residential design guidelines as adopted by resolution by the city council and as may be revised from time to time.
C. 
The development of a harmonious, integrated project in accordance with a precise development plan justifies exceptions, if such are required, to the normal requirements of this article.
Appeals shall be as set forth in Chapter 12.78.
(Prior code § 27-12.6; Ord. 1410 § 1, 1982; Ord. 1784 § 2, 2010; Ord. 1947, 4/9/2024)

§ 12.116.070 Development subject to plan.

Any planned unit, as approved and authorized by the decision-making body, shall be developed in all respects in conformance with the development plans submitted to and approved by the decision-making body. The community development director may, however, approve or conditionally approve minor adjustments to the original development plans, provided said adjustments do not conflict with the concept of intent of the development plans originally approved by the commission. Any planned unit, as approved and authorized by the decision-making body, shall be developed subject to all conditions imposed as part of said approval and shall be excepted from other provisions of the district in which the planned unit permit is used only to the extent specified within the approved plans and/or any related conditions adopted by the commission.
(Prior code § 27-12.7; Ord. 1410 § 1, 1982; Ord. 1947, 4/9/2024)

§ 12.116.080 Conformance.

It shall be unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this article for any person to construct, erect, alter or modify any structure except in strict conformity with any planned unit permit issued.
(Prior code § 27-12.8; Ord. 1410 § 1, 1982)