By Megan Ma

Los Altos planning commissioners made some major edits to local zoning laws in the hope that such modifications could help the city’s efforts to be more business-friendly.

The commission addressed the city’s legally obtuse set of zoning laws known as Title 14 at its Dec. 8 meeting.

While clarifying the laws’ wording may not directly affect most Los Altos residents, Planning Commissioner Randall Hull said “simplifying the language” of the city’s zoning rules for residential and commercial properties is a win-win for everyone.

“It’s important to have laws that aren’t hard to read. It helps people who want to remodel their homes and (it helps) staff and commissioners to interpret and explain,” Hull said.

Some rules in the ordinance were changed to benefit retailers in downtown and commercial areas of the city.

One new amendment lowers the parking space requirement at Stylers Floor Coverings on First Street. Under the previous ordinance, the storeowners would have been required to offer 14 parking spaces for customers, no small task considering the limited parking area, Hull said. The new ordinance would lower that requirement.

Other retailers that tend to attract more clients throughout the day - such as clothing stores and restaurants - would have a different parking space requirement.

Another modification in the ordinance mandates that property owners remodeling or changing the use of their property be required to notify their neighbors within 500 feet. The old ordinance had a 300-foot requirement.

Another change removes the seat restrictions for restaurants located in Loyola Corners, a special commercial zoning district.

As a whole, Hull said the city has been trying to clean up its ordinances, and the planning commission has been encouraging changes.

Community Development Director James Walgren has been the driving force in such amendments, Hull said.