The Santa Maria City Council voted March 5 to approve amendments to the municipal code that will allow motel owners in commercial districts of Broadway and Main streets to revamp their structures and turn them into small apartments. City Planner Larry Appel presented the council with a matrix that simply laid out the options and recommendations made by the Santa Maria Community Development Department—something that was requested by the council on its Feb. 21 meeting.The council went down the list to vote on each issue. Rooms will range anywhere from 220 to 519 square-feet. Appel stated during the meeting that the objective of these units would be to house no more than four people in rooms that are 519 square feet and a maximum of two people in 220 square-foot apartments. State law requires only 150 square-feet for two people.
As for parking, the Santa Maria Planning Commission recommended that there be one parking space for every three units, a figure taken from senior housing code. Council member Jack Boysen pointed out during the meeting that efficiency units are an entirely different project, with its own circumstances. The council unanimously voted to include one parking space for every unit.
There will also be a caretaker required for every apartment complex that has five or more units, to act as a liaison for the city.
The council also discussed whether recreational amenities in outside open spaces, such as basketball courts, and common areas should be required in the ordinance.
“Nobody is telling me I need to have a basketball hoop at my house. … I think that the open space is sufficient, ” Council member Mike Cordero said. Boysen expressed concerns about whether the council was “micromanaging” the ordinance.
The council agreed that there should be locked storages, such as bike racks, included on the properties.
The council also voted on following up with the ordinance after a year, to get a report on the status of the efficiency units and to examine whether any changes are required.
This article appears in Apr 12-19, 2012.