ORD 026 REPEALED BY ORDINANCE O 78 (11/25/75) '
ORDINANCE NO. 26
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
RELATING TO RESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUMS AND AMEND-
ING THE RANCHO PALOS VERDES MUNICIPAL CODE.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES DOES ORDAIN
AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code is
hereby amended by adding thereto a new Chapter 3 of Article IX,
and said chapter is hereby adopted, to read as follows:
Chapter 3. STANDARDS AND CRITERIA FOR RESIDENTIAL
CONDOMINIUMS.
9300 Definitions .
a. "Residential Condominium" shall mean an
estate in real property consisting of an undivided inter-
est in common in a portion of a parcel of real property
together with a separate interest in space in a residen-
tial complex located on such real property. A residential
condominium may include, in addition, a separate interest
in other portions of such real property. Such estate may,
with respect to the duration of its enjoyment, be either
(i) an estate of inheritance or perpetual estate, (ii) an
estate for life , or (iii) an estate for years, such as a
leasehold or a subleasehold. A residential condominium is
a unique land use which has many similarities to the owner-
ship of a single-family dwelling, except that it is usually
marked by higher urban densities, contiguity of living
units, and the aforementioned common interest in the parcel
of real property on which it is situated.
b. "Residential Condominium Unit" or "Unit" mean
the elements of a residential condominium which are not
owned in common with the owners of other condominiums in
the project.
c. "Residential Condominium Project" or "Project"
shall mean the entire parcel of real property divided or
to be divided into condominiums including all structures
located or to be located on such real property.
d. "Residential Condominium Common Area" or
"Common Area" shall mean the entire project excepting all
units granted or reserved.
e. "Residential Condominium Documents" or "Con-
dominium Documents" shall mean the Declaration of Covenants,
Conditions and Restrictions ("the Declaration") , the descrip-
tion of Project Elements, the Condominium Plan establishing
a plan for residential condominium ownership and the
Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the association of
the owners.
f. "Residential Condominium Owner" or "Owner"
shall mean the owner of a residential condominium.
g. "Project Elements" shall mean the condominium
units which are to be conveyed, the areas and spaces which
are to be assigned to such units and the Common Areas
which are to be shared by the owners of all units . Such
elements constitute the totality of the condominium project
and are enumerated in a formal declaration or statement
within the condominium documents that includes the incidents
of the condominium grant. Such enumerative description may
contain irrevocable limitations on the use of the Project
Elements which are not appropriate for the Declaration of
Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions.
h. "Condominium Plan" shall mean a plan consisting
of a description or survey map of the surface of the land in
the Project, a diagram showing the dimensions and locations
of the units and a certificate acknowledging the intent to
create a condominium project and consenting to the recorda-
tion of such a plan pursuant to local ordinance and Title 6,
Part 4 , Division II (§1350 et seq. ) of the California Civil
Code by the record owner of the property and all record
holders of security interests therein.
i. "City" shall mean the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes.
9301 , Intent and Purpose of this Chapter.
Residential condominium projects may require that
numbers of householders, with vested ownership in their
respective dwelling units, live in close proximity to one
another in relationship to the semi-rural character of the
City. Condominium projects also require that such owners
be bound together in an Association which is responsible
for the maintenance, management and possible reconstruc-
tion of improvements within the common area of the project.
This mix of individual and common ownership is different
from conventional and familiar patterns of housing in the
City. The unique status of residential condominium proj-
ects tends to magnify the effects associated with higher
urban densities to the point where they may lead to condi-
tions of mismanagement, neglect and blight that impact
upon the public health, safety, welfare and economic pros-
perity of the larger community. To ensure that such prob-
lems are avoided in both the short and long term, it is
the express intent of the City to treat residential condo-
miniums differently from apartments and other like struc-
tures. Pursuant to such intent and in order to provide
guidance in the consideration of proposed condominium proj-
ects, the purposes of this chapter are as follows:
a. To ensure that the significance of the frag-
mented pattern of condominium ownership with respect to
long-range planning, unforeseen change, and maintenance
of the city' s housing stock is not superficially discounted
in favor of short-term and expedient financial considera-
tions;
b. To establish reasonable procedures for the
dissolution of the condominium and demolition of the struc-
tures at the end of their economic, functional or physical
life and thus obviate conditions of residential obsolete-
ness and blight and their pernicious effects upon both
immediate occupants and the larger community;
c. To ensure that the potentially deleterious
effects resulting from a lack of continuous and centralized
management do not impact upon the public health, safety and
welfare and, at the same time, ensure that there is demo-
cratic and effective management of the project that does
not allow, over time, a majority of the unit owners to
effectively contravene the initial commitments made to the
project at the time of its inception and thus undercut the
good faith of any minority of unit owners;
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d. To ensure that the project developer provides
adequate private outdoor living space, storage space and
parking space to meet the expectations and changing needs
of property owners over a long period of time;
e. To ensure that the project developer is atten-
tive to the performance characteristics of the structure and
mitigates such problems as vibration and noise transmission
which may not be apparent to the buyer without living in the
unit but which, if not adequately attenuated, may neverthe-
less render the living environment within the project unde-
sirable and the transfer of unit ownership difficult;
f. To ensure that the project developer uses con-
temporary and environmentally sensitive concepts of site
planning and architectural design in the creation of the
project and to ensure that the project, once completed,
maintains its integrity over time :riot only to preserve the
long-term financial commitment of the unit owner, but to
optimize the utilitarian and aesthetic qualities that make
the project a viable home for him in the future;
g. To ensure that, when appropriate, governmental
entities have the right to enter into specified areas of the
project to protect the public health, safety and welfare and
preserve the public peace.
9302 Zoning and Conditional Use Permits Required.
a. No residential condominium shall be permitted
in any zone unless such zone permits such usage and unless
and until a conditional use permit is obtained therefor.
b. Existing residential condominiums which do not
comply with the provisions of Sections 9305, 9306 , 9307 and
9308 of this chapter shall be nonconforming uses and shall
be allowed to continue operation subject to the provisions
of subsection (c) of this section 9302 .
c. Except for strictly interior modifications to
individual condominium units, no structural or architectural
alterations, except incidental maintenance, shall be made to
any existing residential condominium or its common areas
within the City, unless and until a conditional use permit
is obtained therefor. An applicant seeking a conditional
use permit in order to make structural or architectural
alterations to an existing condominium shall not arbitrarily
or unreasonably be denied a conditional use permit where
compliance with the provisions of Sections 9305, 9306 , 9307
and 9308 of this chapter would impose a cost or other hard-
ship disproportionate to the proposed structural or archi-
tectural alteration, provided that the applicant is making
reasonable efforts to conform to those provisions and the
purposes delineated in Section 9301 of this chapter.
9303 . Application for Conditional Use Permit.
The application for a conditional use permit for
a proposed condominium project shall include the following
information in copies which the Planning Department deter-
mines to be sufficient for its staff and the Planning Com-
mission to evaluate the project:
a. A complete legal description of the property
and a boundary map showing the existing topography of the
site and the location of all existing easements, structures
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and other improvements, and trees over six (6) inches in diame-
ter;
b. Dimensioned schematic development plans consist-
ing of at least a site plan, garage plan, typical floor plan,
building elevations showing natural grades, transverse and lon-
gitudinal section showing natural grades, and a conceptual
landscaping plan for the project as a whole. (In instances
where the project involves the conversion of an existing struc-
ture to condominium usage, complete as-built drawings shall be
provided. ) ;
c. A tabular analysis showing how the project com-
pares to the minimum standards for condominium projects in the
zone in which it would be located;
d. Typical detailed sections of the types of wall
and floor ceiling construction that would be used in both com-
mon and interior partition walls within the condominium proj-
ect, including either published data from a recognized testing
laboratory or a statement from a licensed acoustical engineer
or the City Building Official as to the STC (Sound Transmission
Class) and IIC (Impect Insulation Class) of the proposed type
of construction;
e. The proposed condominium documents including the
Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, Descrip-
tion of Project Elements and tentative Condominium Plan that
would apply to the conveyance of units, the assignment of park-
ing and the management of common areas within the project.
f. Such other information which the Planning Commis-
sion or Planning Department determines is necessary to evalu-
ate the proposed project.
9304 Fees.
The fee for the processing of an application for a
conditional use permit for condominium usage shall be $250 . 00
per acre of the surface of the land shown on the tract map as
included within the project, or such fee as the City Council
may establish from time to time to reimburse the City for its
cost in reviewing and processing the application. The City
Council may also establish a supplemental fee for the process-
ing of an application involving the conversion of an existing
multiple residential structure to condominium usage.
9305 Condominium Development Policy, Standards and
Criteria.
a. To achieve the purpose of this chapter all propo-
sals for condominium usage made pursuant to the provisions of
this chapter, including the conversion of existing multiple
residential structures to condominiums, shall conform to the
Condominium Development Standards provided for in this sec-
tion. Additionally, the Commission shall review the project
proposal in order to determine its degree of compliance with
both the condominium development standards and development
criteria delineated in Sections 9306 and 9307 below. A con-
dominium proposal which does not comply with all of the pre-
cise development standards in this chapter may be approved
where the Commission finds that there are unusual circum-
stances regarding the development ' s location, site, or con-
figuration, that the project is in substantial compliance
with both the eevelopment standards and development criteria,
and that there are mitigating features incorporated in the
project which tend to further the expressed intent and pur-
Ordinance No. 26
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poses of this chapter.
b. Recognizing that the conversion of existing mul-
tiple residential structures to condominium usage presents
unique problems with respect to the requirements of this sec-
tion, the Planning Commission is empowered to vary any and
all requirements contained herein with regard to a particular
conversion proposal upon a finding that the creation of the
proposed condominium will not have the potential to contra-
vene the intent and purpose of this chapter. Project charac-
teristics of critical importance in determining whether or
not a proposed conversion has that potential include the age
of the structure and the degree to which the proposal varies
from the required standards for the following:
Parking
Unit size
Sound transmission characteristics
Private open space
Storage space
c. The Planning Commission is also empowered to
impose conditions on its approval of the conditional use per-
mit which would require that specified modifications,
designed to bring a structure more nearly into compliance
with the condominium development standards contained herein,
be made to the structure proposed for conversion.
9306 Condominium Development Standards.
To achieve the purpose of this chapter the Planning
Commission shall require, except as noted above, that all
condominium projects conform to all ordinances of the City
and all of the following condominium development standards.
a. Private Open Space. Notwithstanding the mini-
mum total amount of usable open space required for a project
and the required minimum dwelling unit size, in projects
which include five (5) units or more, all of the units shall
have an appurtenant private patio, deck, balcony, atrium, or
solarium with a minimum area of one hundred fifty (150)
square feet, except that one bedroom units shall have a mini-
mum area of one hundred thirty (130) square feet. Such space
shall have a configuration that would allow a horizontal rec-
tangle or square of one hundred (10 0) square feet in area and
a minimum dimension of seven (7) feet to be placed in said
space. The space shall be designed for the sole enjoyment
of the unit owner and his guests, and shall have at least two
weather-proofed electrical convenience outlets. Additionally,
such space shall be at the same level as and immediately
accessible from either a kitchen, dining room, family room,
master bedroom, or living room within the unit. The Planning
Commission may evaluate each project on its own merits, for
the purpose of determining the number of bedrooms and with
regard to the type, configuration and characteristics of the
development including condominium unit mix, and may allow
variations from the above dimensional standards where it can
be shown that the required private open space meets the
intent and purpose of this section.
b. Private Storage Space. Each unit within the
Project shall have at least four hundred (400) cubic feet of
enclosed, weather-proofed and lockable storage space for the
sole use of the unit owner. Such space shall have a minimum
horizontal surface area of fifty (5 0) square feet, a minimum
interior dimension of five (5) feet, and an opening not less
than three and one-half (3-1/2) feet by six (6) feet.
Ordinance No. 26
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Such space may be provided within individual stor-
age lockers, cabinets or closets in any location approved by
the Planning Commission, but shall not be split among two
(2) or more locations. Moreover, since it is the intention
of this standard to require space over and above that nor-
mally associated with the day-to-day functioning of the unit,
the Planning Commission shall exercise reasonable discretion
in differentiating between such required private storage
space and guest, linen or clothes closets or food pantrys
that are customarily within the unit. Thus, while providing
such private storage space within the limits of the unit is
not precluded, it shall be over and above that which would
otherwise be provided within the unit.
If such space is located within a common area
within the Project, the association shall be responsible
for the care and maintenance of the exterior surface of the
space in order to assure that that surface is maintained in
a manner compatible with the architectural treatment of the
Project. Regardless of the location, the precise architec-
tural treatment of such space shall be approved by the
Planning Department to ensure that such areas are safe, con-
venient and unobtrusive to the functional and aesthetic
qualities of the Project.
c. Off-street Parking.
(i) Spaces Assigned to Units. There shall be
at least two (2) enclosed parking spaces assigned to each
condominium unit within the Project.
(ii) Spaces Designated for Visitors. In addi-
tion to the above requirements, there shall be at least one
(1) visitor parking space for each two (2) condominium units
within the Project. A fractional requirement equal to, or
greater than, one-half (1/2) of a visitor parking space shall
be interpreted as a requirement for a total visitor parking
space. Where buffer and other physical conditions are condu-
cive to street parking without impeding traffic or creating
undesirable safety conditions, parallel on-street parking at
the curb may be determined by the Planning Commission to be
appropriate visitor parking.
d. Treatment of Utilities .
(i) Plumbing Shut-Off Valves. Water supply
lines to each unit within the Project shall be fitted with
shut-off valves of either a hand valve or screw-stop type.
If there are extenuating circumstances which make the
installation of such valves impracticable, the Planning
Commission may approve a system which provides individual
shut-off valves ahead of each fixture within the unit. A
shut-off valve shall also be provided ahead of each water
supplied appliance not contained within a unit.
(ii) Drip Pans. Clothes washers, dish washers,
hot water heaters and any other appliance which the Building
Official determines to be a potential source of water leakage
or flooding shall be installed with built-in drip pans and
appropriate drains subject to the approval of the Building
Official.
(iii) Utility Meters. With the exception of
water supply and central heating and/or air conditioning,
each utility that is controlled and consumed within the indi-
vidual unit shall be separately metered in such a way that
the unit owner can be separately billed for its use. Where
the gas service provided is _ less than ..fifty (50) cubic feet
Ordinance No. 26
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per hour per unit, the requirement for individual gas meters
may be waived.
(iv) Hot Water. Each unit shall have a sepa-
rate hot water heater.
(v) Circuit Breakers. Each unit shall have
its own circuit breaker panel for all electrical circuits
and outlets which serve the unit. Such panel shall be
accessible without leaving the unit.
e. Isolation of Vibration and Sources of Struc-
ture Borne Noise in Condominium Projects
Where Units Have Common Walls and/or. Floor
and Ceilings.
(i) Shock Mounting of Mechanical Equipment.
All permanent mechanical equipment such as motors, compres-
sors, pumps and compactors which, because of their rotation,
reciprocation, expansion and/or contraction, turbulence,
oscillation, pulsation, impaction or detonation, is deter-
mined by the Building Official to be a source of structural
vibration or structure borne noise shall be shock mounted
with inertia blocks or bases and/or vibration isolators in
a manner approved by the Building Official. Domestic appli-
ances which are cabinet installed or built into the indi-
vidual units, such as clothes washers and dryers, or other
appliances which are determined by the Building Official
to be a source of structural vibration or structure borne
noise, shall be isolated from cabinets and the floor or
ceiling by resilient gaskets and vibration mounts approved
by the Building Official. The cabinets in which they are
installed should be offset from the back wall with strip
gasketing of felt, cork or similar material approved by
the Building Official. Where such appliances utilize
water, flexible connectors shall be installed on all
water lines. If provision is made within the units for
the installation of nonpermanent appliances such as clothes
washers and dryers, then permanent rubber mounting bases
and surface plates shall be installed in a manner approved
by the Building Official.
(ii) Location of Plumbing Fixtures. No
plumbing fixture shall be located on a common .wall between
two separate units where it would back up to a living room,
family room, dining room, den or bedroom of an adjoining
unit. Where practicable, plumbing fixtures shall be located
on interior walls within the unit or on exterior walls of
the Project.
(iii) Separation of Vents and Lines. No com-
mon water supply lines, vents, or drain lines shall be per-
mitted for contiguous units unless there is at least eight
and one-half (8-1/2) feet of pipe between the closest
plumbing fixtures within the separate units. The Building
Official may approve other methods of isolating sound trans-
mission through plumbing lines where their effectiveness
can be demonstrated.
(iv) Isolation and Insulation of Lines. All
water supply lines within the Project shall be isolated
from wood or metal framing with pipe isolators specifically
manufactured for that purpose and approved by the Building
Official. In multistory condominium projects all vertical
drainage pipe shall be surrounded by three-quarter inch
(3/4" ) thick dense insulation board or full thick fiber-
glass or wool blanket insulation for its entire length
excluding the sections that pass through wood or metal
Ordinance No. 26
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framing. The Building Official may approve other methods
of isolating sound transmission through plumbing lines
where their effectiveness can be demonstrated.
f. Attenuation of Noise.
(i) General. Wall and floor/ceiling assem-
blies separating units from each other or from public or
quasi-public spaces such as interior corridors, laundry
rooms, recreation rooms, and garages shall provide air-
borne sound insulation for walls, and both airborne and
impact sound insulation for floor/ceiling assemblies .
(ii) Airborne Sound Insulation. All wall
assemblies enumerated or alluded to in the previous para-
graph (i) shall be of a type of construction that has a
minimum rating of 55 STC (Sound Transmission Class) . All
floor/ceiling assemblies enumerated or alluded to in the
previous paragraph (i) shall be of a type of construction
that has a minimum rating of 50 STC. Wood floor joists
and subflooring shall not be continuous between separate
condominium units. Penetrations or openings in the con-
struction for piping, electrical outlets and devices,
recess cabinets, bathtubs, soffits, heating, and venti-
lating and/or air conditioning intake and exhaust ducts,
and the like, shall be sealed, lined, insulated or other-
wise treated to maintain the required rating and such
treatment shall be approved by the Building Official.
Entrance doors to the unit shall be of solid construction
and, together with perimeter seals, shall have a minimum
rating of 33 STC. Such perimeter seals shall be maintained
in effective operating condition.
(iii) Impact Sound Insulation. All separat-
ing floor/ceiling assemblies enumerated or alluded to
above shall be of a type of construction that has a mini-
mum rating of 65 IIC (Impact Insulation Class) . Floor
coverings may be included in the assembly to obtain the
required ratings, but must be retained as a permanent
part of the assembly and may only be replaced by another
floor covering that provides the same or greater impact
insulation.
(iv) Verification of Sound Class. STC and
IIC ratings shall be based on the results of laboratory
measurements and will not be subjected to field testing.
The STC rating shall be based on the American Society
for Testing and Materials system specified in ASTM E90-66t
or equivalent. The IIC rating shall be based on the sys-
tem in use at the National Bureau of Standards or equiva-
lent. Ratings obtained from other testing procedures will
require adjustment to the above rating systems. In docu-
menting wall and floor/ceiling compliance with the
required sound ratings, the applicant or sponsor of the
condominium development shall either (1) furnish the
Building Official with data based upon tests performed
by a recognized and approved testing laboratory, or (2)
furnish the Building Official with verified manufacturer's
data on the ratings of the various wall and floor/ceiling
assemblies utilized in the Project. Additionally, the
Building Official will develop a ready reference file
indicating the STC and the IIC ratings of the wall and
floor/ceiling assemblies commonly utilized in condominium
structures.
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g. Height Limitation.
In keeping with the semi-rural concept of Rancho
Palos Verdes, condominium structure shall be limited to
two stories in height, excluding subterranean levels
devoted to automobile parking. There shall be no more
than one unit in any vertical configuration. As used
herein "subterranean level" shall mean a level the ceiling
of which shall be no higher than the highest point of the
finished grade adjacent to the structure, and which shall
be either
(i) Wholly enclosed, or
(ii) Not visible from either adjoining properties
or from a public street outside of the
Project.
9307 Condominium Development Criteria.
There are important considerations relative to
each proposal for condominium usage and to each proposed
site that do not lend themselves to specific development
standards. The following criteria shall apply to proposals
for condominium usage made pursuant to the provisions of
this Chapter and shall serve as a basis for the evaluation
of accepted and appropriate planning and architectural tech-
niques necessary for the orderly development of the city,
and, concurrently, give substance to the policies necessary
to achieve the purposes of this Chapter.
a. The Project should be a comprehensive and
integrated design, providing its own open space, off-street
parking and amenities for contemporary living. Insofar as
the scale of the Project allows, open space, walkways and
other areas for people should be separated from parking
areas, driveways and other areas for automobiles.
b. Architectural unit and harmony should be
achieved both within the Project and between the Project
and the surrounding community so that the Project does not
constitute a disruption to the established fabric of the
community.
c. The layout of structures and other facilities
should effect a conservation in street, driveway, curb cut,
utility and other public or quasi-public improvements .
Structures should be designed to minimize, within the con-
text of accepted architectural practice, the consumption of
natural resources either directly or indirectly (i.e. , gas,
water, electricity) .
d The Project should be designed to maintain as
much of the natural topography, large trees, and environment
as practicable.
e. The configuration and orientation of the Proj-
ect should respect reasonable design limits imposed by the
natural and man-made environment. Structures should be sit-
uated to take advantage of view, topography, sun and wind,
while at the same time not destroying these advantages for
adjacent properties. Structures should also be situated to
minimize or buffer any undesirable characteristics of the
site such as street noise and nearby obnoxious commercial
or industrial uses.
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f. The layout of units and open space within the
Project should establish, through the use of structure and
landscape materials, a perceptible spatial transition from
the public street, through the semi-privacy of the common
areas, to the privacy of the unit. Most importantly, the
environment of each condominium unit should be private and
free from visual, audial and other intrusions.
g. The Project shall comply with state standards
facilitating access for the handicapped.
9308 Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restric-
tions.
To achieve the purpose of this Chapter, the Decla-
ration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions relating
to the management of the Common Area and facilities shall
accompany all proposals for condominium usage made pursuant
to the provisions of this Chapter. In addition to such
Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions that may be required
by the Department of Real Estate of the State of California
or pursuant to Title 6 of Part IV of Division II of the
Civil Code or other state laws or policies, such declaration
shall provide for the following, none of which, after accep-
tance in final form by the City, shall be amended, modified
or changed without first obtaining the written consent of
the City:
a. Assignment or Conveyance of Private Open Space.
The surface area and appurtenant airspace of private open
space areas, including but not limited to the private patio,
deck, balcony, solarium or atrium required by Section 9306 (a)
of this Chapter and any integral portion of that space that
may exceed the minimum area requirements , shall be described
and irrevocably assigned to its respective unit, except that
where the private open space is totally within the boundary
described by the interior surfaces of the unit , it shall be
conveyed as an integral part of the unit.
b. Assignment or Conveyance of Private Storage
Areas. The surfaces and appurtenant airspace of private
storage areas, including but not limited to the private
storage space required by Section 9306 (b) of this Chapter
shall be described and irrevocably assigned in the Declara-
tion or Condominium Plan to its respective unit, except that
where the private storage space is totally within the boun-
dary described by the interior surfaces of the unit, as it
would be in a closet opening upon a unit's room or hallway,
it shall be conveyed as an integral part of the unit.
c. Assignment or Conveyance and Use of Required
Off-street Parking Spaces. Required off-street, enclosed
parking spaces, except guest parking spaces , shall be per-
manently and irrevocably assigned to particular units within
the Project on the basis of two spaces per unit, except that
where two parking spaces are totally within the boundary
described by the interior surfaces of the unit, as they would
be in a townhouse development with a private entrance from
the parking garage to the unit, it shall be conveyed as an
integral part of the unit. To the maximum practicable extent
the two spaces assigned to each unit shall be contiguous . In
no case shall the private storage area of one unit overhang
or take its access from the required off-street parking space
of another unit. All parking spaces shall be used solely by
unit owners, members of their families, their guests or
lessees of the owners ' unit, except that a unit occupant
within the Project may rent one (1) space to another unit
Ordinance No.
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occupant or to the Association. All parking spaces shall
be used solely for the purpose of parking motor vehicles
as defined by the Vehicle Code of the State of California.
d. Maintenance of Impact Insulation Class . The
Impact Insulation Class (IIC rating of all separating floor/
ceiling assemblies, as required by Section 9306 (f) of this
Chapter, shall be described in the Declaration. Where the
minimum IIC rating is obtained through the use of floor
covering(s) , the Declaration shall provide that said cover-
ing shall not be removed for any purpose except cleaning or
replacement, and shall further provide that any replacement
covering (s) shall furnish not less than the degree of impact
insulation afforded by coverings originally installed.
e. Right of Public Entry to Common Area. The
City of Rancho Palos Verdes, the County of Los Angeles, the
State of California, and the Government of the United States,
and any department, bureau or agency thereof, shall have the
right of immediate access to all portions of common areas of
the Project not assigned for the exclusive use of the owner
of a particular unit at all times for the purpose of preserv-
ing the public health, safety and welfare except in those
instances where a common area is accessible only through a
private unit. Notice of such right of governmental agency
access shall be prominently displayed in the common areas
of the Project.
f. Television and Radio Antenna. Individual
television and radio antennas shall be prohibited outside
of any owner' s unit. The Declaration shall provide either
for a central antenna with connections to each unit via
underground or internal wall wiring, or each unit shall be
served by a cable antenna service provided by a company
licensed to provide such service within the city.
g. Voting. For the purpose of voting, including
without limitation voting to set the amount of regular or
special assessments and for the purpose of amending the
Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, one vote shall be
allocated for each unit within the Project, provided, how-
ever:
(i) Except as provided with respect to the
developer of a project hereinbelow, no owner shall be
entitled to vote, directly or indirectly, more than ten
percent (10%) of the total number of units in the project
or a maximum of ten (10) units whichever is the lesser.
(Provided, further, that where there are less than ten
units in a project, the maximum voting power shall be one
(1) unit. )
(ii) Subparagraph §9308g(i) shall not apply to
voting by the developer of a project, provided that the
Declaration shall provide for all of the following:
A. Voting by classes, one class being the
developer and the other being all of the other owners .
B. Wherever a particular percentage vote
is required, said percentage shall be of each class voting
separately.
C. Elimination of the developer' s separate
voting class upon the earlier of the sale of 75 percent (75%)
of the units or three (3) years from the date of recordation
of the Declaration.
Ordinance No. 26
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h. Partition and Sale of the Project. An action
may be brought by one or more owners of units within the
Project for partition thereon by sale of the entire Project
as if the owners of all of the condominiums in such Project
were tenants in common in the entire Project in the same
proportion as their interests in the common areas , provided,
however, that a partition shall be made only upon a showing
of the existence of one or more of the conditions set forth
in Section 752b of the California Code of Civil Procedure,
or that:
(i) Two (2) years after damage or destruction
to the Project which renders a material part thereof unfit
for its use, the Project has not been rebuilt or repaired
substantially to its state prior to its damage or destruc-
tion; or
(ii) One-half (1/2) or more of the Project
has been destroyed or substantially damaged and condominium
owners holding in aggregate more than fifty percent (50%)
interest in the common areas are opposed to repair or resto-
ration of the Project; or
(iii) The structure has been in existence in
excess of the number of years shown on the following table,
is obsolete and uneconomic, and the percentage of condominium
owners holding in aggregate a percentage interest in the
common areas as set forth in the following table are opposed
to repair or restoration of the Project.
Percentage of Interest
in Common Areas Held
Age of Structure by Condominium Owners
30 years 70 percent
40 years 60 percent
50 years 50 percent
60 years 40 percent
70 years 30 percent
For purposes of this section, multiple owners of a single
unit shall not be deemed possessed, in the aggregate, of
any greater interest in the common areas than that possessed
by a single owner of a unit.
i. Maintenance. The Declaration shall contain a
provision establishing the obligation and duty of the govern-
ing body of the condominium to maintain the common areas in
good condition.
j . Enforcement. The Declaration shall contain a
provision insuring the right of any owner to enforce the
terms of the Declaration.
k. Assessments for Maintenance of Common Areas
and Facilities.
(i) General. In order to protect the public
health, safety and welfare provision shall be made both for
annual assessments for maintenance and special assessments
for capital improvements. The amount of the regular annual
assessment, and the procedure for its change shall be speci-
fied. The manner in which special assessments may be levied
for the purpose of defraying, in whole or in part, the cost
of any construction, reconstruction, repair or replacement
of a capital improvement upon the common area shall be speci-
fied. The amount of regular and special assessments may be
Ordinance No. 26
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made proportional to the gross square footage of each unit
within the Project. Both annual and special assessments
may be collected on a monthly basis. The remedies which
the Association may bring for the nonpayment of assessments
shall be specified and may include penalties for late pay-
ment.
(ii) Veto Right and Authority of the City.
In consideration for the City's approval of a condominii
project, including without limitation any approval of a
conversion to condominium usage, the Declaration shall pro-
vide that the City at its option has the right and authority _
to veto any action of the Association which would tend to
decrease the amount of the regular annual assessment upon a a
finding by the City that such a decrease could or: would
adversely affect the long-run maintenance of the condominium
structure and/or its common areas. To enable the City to
exercise said optional veto, the Declaration shall provide
that Association actions to decrease the annual assessment
do not become effective until sixty (60) days after written
notice of such action is given to the City.
1. Utility Easements Over Private Streets and
Other Areas. If the condominium project contains private
streets, provision shall be made for public utility ease-
ments over the entire private street network. The Planning
Commission may also require public utility easements adja-
cent to public streets or over other portions of the Proj-
ect to accommodate fire hydrants, water meters, street fur-
niture, storm drainage, sanitary sewers, water and gas mains,
electrical lines and similar urban infrastructure. The
Planning Commission may also require access routes necessary
to assure that fire fighting equipment can reach and operate
efficiently in all areas of the Project.
m. Amendment of the Declaration. Any amendment
to the Declaration which would amend, modify, delete or
otherwise affect any provision required by this Section
9308 shall require the prior written approval of the City.
To that end, no such amendment of the Declaration shall be
effective unless (i) the text thereof shall have been sub-
mitted to the City thirty (3 0) days prior to its adoption
by the owners; (ii) either the City has approved the amend-
ment or failed to disapprove it within said thirty (30)
day period; and (iii) the recorded instrument effecting
such amendment shall recite that it was so submitted and
approved or not disapproved.
9309 Severability.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or
phrase of this Chapter is for any reason held invalid by
a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not
affect the validity of any other portion of the Chapter,
it being the intent hereof that each section, subsection,
sentence, clause and phrase hereof would have been adopted
irrespective of the fact that any one or more section, sub-
section, sentence, clause or phrase be declared invalid.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 16th day of April
1974 , by the following votes:
Ordinance No. 26
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AYES: Buerk, Dyda, Ruth, R. Ryan, M. Ryan
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
4109-
M:yor 74-71
ATTEST:
41 / if
City Clerk
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and
correct copy of Ordinance No. passed and adopted by the City
Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes at a meeting thereof
held on the 16th day of April , 1974, and that said Ordinance
was posted pursuant to law.
1 .
City lerk
Ordinance No. 26
-14-
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) SS. CERTIFICATE OF POSTING
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES )
The undersigned declares and certifies under penalty of
perjury:
That he at all times herein mentioned was and now is the
duly qualified and acting City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes, California;
That on the /9x4 day of 4,01A1.42 , 19 214 , he
caused to be posted in three conspicuous public places, as required
by law,
Oki), acy 4qepad by Creitreince_ 7 ' 4r
a copy of which is attached hereto, in the following public places
in this City:
City Hall
31244 Palos Verdes Drive West
Los Angeles County Fire Station
4000 Miraleste Plaza
Ridgecrest Intermediate School
28915 Northbay Road
Dated this /1X440 day of 4c,IA.A.AL, , 197)1
LEONARD G. WOOD, CITY CLERK
EX OFFICIO CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
ij, Agg742156
By mw■
Deputy