Union City has upped the ante on the types of building materials developers can use on residential exteriors. The City Council May 15 approved an amendment to the Residential Zoning Ordinance, now requiring that a minimum of 75 percent of the exterior siding material for the facade facing the street must be brick or stone. The remaining sides of the structure must be 100 percent brick, stone, hardcoat stucco, cement-type siding or wood. vinyl and metal siding is now longer allowed, the amendment said.

An overall intention of the amendment was to tighten the residential building code and to protect property values.

“This amendment to the zoning ordinance, which was initiated by the Planning Commission and fine tuned by the mayor and city council, intends to make clear the city’s desire and commitment to construct quality residential dwellings within its limits,” said City Planner Ann Lippman.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.