HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-15-2000 City Council Staff Report-Construction hoursSARATOGA CITY COUNCIL
MEETING DATE: November 15, 2000 AGENDA ITEM:
DEPARTMENT: Community Development CITY MANAGER: ^ems-✓
PREPARED BY: /1 1A l . DEPT HEAD:
SUBJECT: Construction hours ordinance
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Review the attached amended construction hours ordinance, open the public hearing and receive
public comment and then move to adopt the ordinance.
REPORT SUMMARY:
The City Council has directed staff to prepare a draft ordinance for consideration that would limit
the permitted hours of construction activity in Saratoga. Currently, the City's noise ordinance
allows residential construction activity between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday
through Sunday, but prohibits any single noise source from exceeding 83 dBA. Commercial
construction activity is limited to weekdays only. Commercial building is currently defined as
construction of an actual retail, office, personal service or institutional structure.
When the City Council first discussed limiting construction hours at the September 6 meeting,
the majority of the Council seemed to prefer further restricting weekend hours versus prohibiting
weekend construction outright. In response, staff presented a draft ordinance at the October 18
meting that would have shortened allowable construction hours on Saturdays and prohibited
construction on Sundays and Holidays, with the exception of homeowner improvements that do
not require a City permit. The Council expressed continued reservations about adopting an
ordinance that would prevent homeowners from doing additions to their homes, or other similar
small -scale homeowner improvements, on the weekends.
The attached amended draft ordinance would now allow residential home additions of up to fifty
percent of the existing structure's square footage to occur on Sundays and Holidays. A provision
has also been added that would require property owners to post the applicable construction hours
on site. This will both provide neighbors and contractors with a clear understanding of the rules,
and allow for more efficient code enforcement of these restrictions - particularly on the weekends
when Sheriff's deputies will be asked to enforce these restrictions.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
Some additional enforcement costs will be incurred to regulate weekend construction hours.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT FOLLOWING RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
Current ordinance would remain unchanged.
ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS:
The City Council could direct staff to prepare an ordinance that would prohibit all Sunday and
Holiday construction activity requiring a City permit.
FOLLOW UP ACTION:
Staff will amend the Municipal Code to reflect the new construction hours ordinance.
ADVERTISING, NOTICING AND PUBLIC CONTACT:
A legal notice has been published and a news article has been written in the Saratoga News
reporting the City Council's consideration of amending the current ordinance.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft Ordinance