5,000 Sq Ft Spec Homes on Their Way to Belmont!

If Belmont Council passes a proposed 5,000 sq. ft. maximum floor area cap instead of maintaining the current 3,500 sq. ft. cap (or 4,500 sq. ft. in zone R1H), you can be certain that 5,000 sq. ft. Spec Homes will be built in your neighborhood by developers looking to “FLIP” for a quick profit.

Myth: Most remodeling projects in Belmont are homeowners’ modest expansions.

Truth:  In the past three years, there have been more builder speculative homes built for profit than homes built by owners for their own families.

Take a look at the list of the 20 homes below built by speculative builders/investors looking to flip them for a quick profit from Belmont’s lenient zoning standards.  Notice the pattern where these homes are built to a minimum 90% of the allowed floor area for the lot; many at 100% of the allowable current floor area based on their Floor Area Ratio, up to 3,500 sq. ft. maximum (or 4,500 sq. ft. in zone R1H). 

Here is the sale listing for the newly constructed Spec Home on 2847 San Juan Blvd.

Builders maximize their profits by building the maximum house size allowable, creating McMansions that don’t fit in with the neighborhood. All of these houses were either a teardown of a smaller home or built on steep lots that until recently, were considered financially unbuildable. These builders and investors will not be living in these homes, nor do they care about impacts on neighbors, massive excavations, loss of privacy and views, loss of open space and trees or neighborhood character.  They are speculators, flipping homes for a big profit and then moving on to the next city, leaving an infrastructure deficit that we residents will end up paying for.  

If the Floor area cap for Belmont is raised from 3,500 sq. ft. (or 4,500 sq. ft. in zone R1H)  to the council recommended 5,000 sq. ft. for all of Belmont, Builder Spec Homes will be even bigger. As this analysis shows, Spec Builders will take it to the max, oblivious to Belmont’s character.

Here are some photos of the other Spec Homes.

Check out this front page article in the Palo Alto Daily Post on September 13, 2016 that confirms our suspicions that this is indeed happening in Belmont.
Ask Belmont Citizens – Palo Alto Daily Post – Spec Homes

Protect your property values, your neighborhood character and your quality of life by taking the following actions:

• Tell Planning Commission and Council to KEEP the current 3,500/4,500 sq. ft. maximum floor area cap (including garage) or 3,000/4,000 sq. ft. excluding garage;
• Tell Planning Commission and Council to KEEP the current Floor Area Exception process that allows for larger homes as long as neighbors’ views and privacy are protected.

1. Email the Planning Commission and City Council
   planningcomm@belmont.gov and, citycouncil@belmont.gov;
2. Copy/Paste email comments for public record on Belmont City website
   Click here to provide comments for public record;
3. Come and Speak at the Planning Commission Public Hearing on Tuesday, October 18 at 7 pm at City Hall, 1 Twin Pines Lane.