San Marcos City Council Direct Staff To Look Into Stealth Dorm Solutions

Staff Reports

Last Tuesday, the San Marcos City Council discussed a recommendation from the Neighborhood Commission to address the impact of “Stealth Dorms” in single-family neighborhoods.

During their October meeting, the Neighborhood Commission received a presentation from the Planning and Development Services staff regarding a single-family development at 609 Sturgeon that provides a potential “Stealth Dorm” scenario.

According to staff, the project at 609 Sturgeon is zoned single-family but has been identified as a potential stealth dorm due to its interior design of an en-suite floorplan.

The recommendation states the Sturgeon location meets current development codes but has self-contained bedroom/bathroom areas which could be rented by the bedroom in violation of the intent of SF-6 Zoning.

The property in question is a two-story, four-bedroom, four-bathroom design that the Neighborhood Commission felt is not cohesive with the Blanco Gardens neighborhood and expressed concern over the “intent” of the project.

Michael Ostrowski, Assistant Director of Planning & Development, said the property owner has confirmed receipt of a letter sent by the planning department reiterating the single-family zoning status and the requirement to comply with the city’s occupancy restrictions.

According to the planning and development services staff, the property owner noted problems of verbal harassment and vandalism at the property.

Mayor Jane Hughson said a home with four-bedrooms that were each attached to a bathroom was not illegal, but the exterior of the property does not look like a single-family home.

Hughson said the issue was not necessarily the design of the home but the location; the property is bordered on two sides by single-family homes.

In addition, Director of Planning and Development, Shannon Mattingly, said the property owner owns seven other lots where similar houses may be built; the structure is built on stilts due to its location in a floodplain and has 10 foot ceilings.

Council Member Ed Milkhalkan said he supported having staff looking into a solution, but he hoped another term could be found to refer to such developments.

Council directed staff to do research on the issue and see what kind of solutions other cities experiencing similar problems have employed.