Portola Valley, California · General provision

Chapter 18.12

Single FamilyAll Portola Valley districts0

Dimensional standards

Height & bulk

Maximum floor area ratio: 0.25

Housing

Single-family: by_right

Uses

Permitted by right7

Uses permitted by Section 18.36.010
Single-family dwellings
Residential care facilities for six or fewer persons
Supportive housing
Transitional housing
Temporary uses permitted by Section 18.36.030
Public school or other public building when located in conformance with the general plan

Conditional / special use14

Uses permitted by Section 18.36.020
Crop and tree farming and truck gardening, including sale of products grown exclusively on the premises
Religious institution (when located on an arterial or expressway)
Private noncommercial club or recreation facility (when located on an arterial or expressway)
Private or parochial elementary or secondary schools (when located on an arterial or expressway)
Group living accommodations for senior citizens
Boarding stables
Nursery schools and day care centers
Residential planned unit developments
On parcels of ten acres or more, two single-family dwellings; on parcels of one hundred acres or more, three single-family dwellings
Horticulture and grazing of cattle
Wineries (including growing grapes, making wine, wholesale/retail trade of wine produced on premises, and related structures)
Publicly-owned park, recreation or open space areas when located in conformance with the general plan
Employee housing for qualified agricultural uses

Accessory10

Accessory uses as permitted by Section 18.36.040 and Chapter 18.40
Equestrian facilities (stables, corrals, exercise rings) subject to conditions
Renting of rooms and/or providing table board in a dwelling (not more than one paying guest)
Home occupations (subject to conditions)
Private swimming pools, cabanas, tennis courts, and similar recreation facilities
Private garages, carports, and parking areas
Signs as permitted and regulated by Chapter 18.40
Sale of agricultural products grown on the premises (no building maintained for such purpose)
Household pets and domestic animals permitted by town ordinances
Emergency shelters for up to ten individuals (only on parcel with conditional use for religious institution, subject to zoning permit and standards)

Extracted standards

11 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.

Floodplain

Floodplain compliance required
Properties identified on the flood insurance rate maps shall comply with the provisions of Chapter 18.32 and 18.31.

Other

Architectural and site control commission approval required for permitted structures except single-family dwellings
All permitted structures, except single-family dwellings and structures accessory thereto, shall be approved by the architectural and site control commission.
Corral and riding ring setback from property lines20 ft
corrals and riding rings shall be set back a minimum of twenty feet from property lines.
Maximum home occupation floor area as fraction of main residence0.25 ratio
The floor area used for such occupations shall not exceed that equivalent to one-fourth of the floor area of the main residence but shall not be more than four hundred square feet in any case.
Maximum home occupation floor area400 sqft
The floor area used for such occupations shall not exceed that equivalent to one-fourth of the floor area of the main residence but shall not be more than four hundred square feet in any case.
Maximum horsepower of any single motor in home occupation0.5 hp
The horsepower of any single motor shall not exceed one-half horsepower
Maximum total horsepower of motors in home occupation1 hp
the total horsepower of such motors shall not exceed one horsepower
Planned unit development required for subdivisions of 7 or more lots
All subdivisions consisting of seven or more lots must be developed as planned unit developments (PUDs) in accordance with Chapter 18.44 of this code.
Recycling and trash enclosures must conform to Section 18.37.010
All recycling and trash enclosures shall conform with the requirements set forth in Section 18.37.010.
No vehicle designed for human habitation may be occupied or parked in open space for more than 7 days
No vehicle, whether self-propelled or otherwise, which is designed or used for human habitation shall be: 1. Occupied for living, sleeping or cooking purposes; or 2. Parked in any open space for more than seven days unless screened from view pursuant to subsection B of this section.
Stored vehicles must be enclosed or screened
All stored vehicles, whether self-propelled or otherwise, shall be contained within a completely enclosed building or buildings, or otherwise screened from view so as, in the judgement of the architectural and site control commission, to be visually compatible with the surrounding area when viewed from nearby properties.

From the ordinance

The R-E district is intended to promote and encourage the establishment and maintenance of a rural environment suitable for family living with parcels of adequate size to accommodate single-family dwellings and, where appropriate, accessory equestrian facilities.
Chapter 18.12

Parking requirements

{
  "emergency_shelter": "0.35 spaces per bed plus one space per staff member on duty when guests are present"
}

Use details

{
  "dropped_conditions": {
    "conditional_uses": [
      "Nurseries and greenhouses used only for propagating and cultivating plants, provided no retail sale be allowed"
    ]
  }
}