Just logged in to say the same thing – R-4 is back in play!
The Mayor essentially asked to go back to the Planning Commission’s recommendation to Council:
https://go.boarddocs.com/nc/raleigh/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BJZMUR5CFA81#
ADUs might not be allowed, as what was discussed in December would apply to RX zones rather than R zones.
Even more important than the extra units, the cottage court change would allows for much freer arrangement of units on the property – without the need to cut a full-sized public street through the limited upland space. Think of it as a “conservation subdivision” option for <5 acre sites.
It would be an interesting code interpretation exercise to see if the lowlands could be designated as a “courtyard,” since they face a public street ROW (though unbuilt). Anyhow, interesting project – get in touch if you want to talk more!
Just got word that the Planning & Development Department has changed its mind and now interprets the cottage court language to take literally the description that cottages be “centered around a common courtyard.”
This was in response to at least three applications (including one in South Park) that showed L-shaped or “half courts,” with the courtyard along one side lot line and cottages on one side. Bear in mind that cottage courts must have alley-fed rear parking – no parking lots are allowed in front – so a mid-block cottage court now has to accommodate two rows of houses, a 20’+ courtyard, side setbacks, and a 20’+ alley within its width.
Half courts are common in Southern California, where the cottage-court type is most popular; historical research of San Diego found 278 full bungalow courts (of which 155 had “a spacious central garden”) and 158 half courts circa 1940. The original National Register of Historic Places listing for Pasadena’s bungalow courts includes a few half-courts.
The “tiny house” text change (allowing prefab, <600 sq ft houses citywide, at half the lot width of detached houses) includes some language refining the cottage court concept. Passed out of Planning Commission on 10/26, scheduled for City Council public hearing on 12/7.
http://go.boarddocs.com/nc/raleigh/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=C7YFZ3417C02
All cottage courts get a minor density boost, in keeping with TC-5-20 (“Missing Middle 1.0”); courtyard shape standards have been amended and the “centered” language (see above) is removed. A Tiny House Cottage Court could be built at over twice the base density, and with a bit less courtyard area per unit.