By Elizabeth Cloutman

The Los Altos Hills City Council is expected to make a decision Thursday on two ordinance revisions that could possibly reduce the number of applications the city receives for variances to its building code.

First, following five months of public debate, the city council is scheduled to decide whether to adopt an ordinance revision that would raise allowed residential floor area from 4,000 to 5,000 square feet and development area from 5,000 to 7,500 square feet on constrained lots and lots requiring a conditional use permit.

The purpose of revising the present ordinance, according to a staff report prepared by Planning Director Carl Cahill, is to provide relief to property owners of constrained lots, who are often required to obtain variances to develop their land in a manner consistent with other Los Altos Hills properties.

The council has also scheduled first readings of two alternative proposals for a basement ordinance revision. The planning commission deemed a revision necessary, for two reasons.

First the commission noted the difficulty of constructing a basement “wholly underground” as required by the current ordinance when building on a sloped lot. Second, development standards for the placement of underground structures that weren’t directly below the first floor of a home were needed.

Both proposed revisions would allow for basements to be located above ground on one side. However, they differ in that proposed revision “A” would require cellars and bunkers to be counted as development area unless they are located under the footprint of a structure, or under an impervious surface, such as a deck or tennis court.

Proposed Revision “B” doesn’t require such structures to be counted as part of a lots development area since they would be wholly underground.