PLACENTIA : Down-Sizing Catches On for Development

The short driveways, narrow streets and pocket-size lawns that dominate many new single-family housing developments in South County cities have been largely absent from developments here.

But a recent City Council decision has changed that.

History was made Tuesday when the council voted 3 to 2 to allow A-M/Greystone Homes to use several design elements common in communities like Aliso Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita in the Gallery, a 72-unit development near Alta Vista Country Club.

The council also approved an ordinance that will make it easier for future developers to design projects that differ from traditional detached houses on standard size lots.

While the elements proposed by Greystone, such as shorter driveways, houses closer to the streets, and narrower streets, are not uncommon in condo and townhome projects, the combination of all three in a detached housing project is a first for the city.

“The project is unique because it’s the first time these elements have been combined in one project,” said Joyce Rosenthal, director of development services.

The developer says the elements are essential if it is to build houses that people want to buy at a price--about $200,000--they can afford.

“Studies show that 80% of home buyers want (detached) single-family homes,” said Terrell Galloway, a planning and civil engineering consultant who helped design the project. “Historically, they have been willing to face long commutes or smaller homes and lot sizes to get that.”

Rosenthal said the Gallery shares features of new projects in Irvine, Tustin Ranch and several South County cities. But it will not bear a strong resemblance to neighborhoods there.

“If you plopped someone down in the Gallery, I don’t think they would mistake the project for South County,” Rosenthal said. “These units will be more heavily styled, have more architectural detail than ones in those cities.”

Although the project, at Alta Vista Street and Dunnavant Drive, was originally approved for 75 attached townhomes, councilmen Michael L. Maertzweiler and John O. Tynes opposed the proposed plan, saying it was too dense.

They were also concerned that the street width of 25 feet was too narrow and the distance houses will be setback from the street--10 feet--was too short.

Construction on the models will probably begin in January. The houses are 1,500 to 1,900 square feet.