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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission 2012-04-24 #2 CITY OF Community Development Department – Planning Division P. O. Box 151560, San Rafael, CA 94915-1560 PHONE: (415) 485-3085/FAX: (415) 485-3184 Meeting Date: April 24, 2012 Agenda Item: Case Numbers: ED11-056 Project Planner: Sarjit Dhaliwal – (415) 485-3397 REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION SUBJECT: 1499 Lucas Valley Road – Environmental and Design Review Permit and Exception to add a 268 sq. ft. crafts room, 1,214 sq. ft. theater room, 535 sq. ft. attached covered courtyard and a 622 sq. ft. detached garage to an existing single family residence. The property is currently developed with a single family residence and several accessory structures. Approval of an Exception is required to allow the single family residence to exceed the maximum allowed 6,500 sq. ft. (8,517 sq. ft. proposed) on an approximately 8.9-acre lot with an average 9.4% slope; APN: 165-010-89; Planned Development District (PD1701-H); Matt Guthrie, applicant; Michael Stone, owner; Case Number: ED11-056 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The proposed project is a request to approve an Environmental and Design Review Permit and an Exception to add a 268 sq. ft. crafts room, 1,214 sq. ft. theater room, 535 sq. ft. attached covered courtyard and a 622 sq. ft. detached garage to an existing single family residence located on an approximately 8.9-acre site. The current proposal would increase the residence size to 8,517 sq. ft. Under the Hillside property’s current Planned Development (PD1701-H) zoning, an Exception to the PD1701 is required for any addition that would result in the single family home exceeding 6,500 sq. ft. In order to grant an Exception, findings would need to made that the design meets the objectives of the hillside design guidelines, minimizes grading, retains more of the project site in its natural state, minimizes visual impacts, protects significant trees, or protects natural resources and results in a demonstrably superior project with greater sensitivity to the natural setting and compatibility with and sensitivity to nearby structures. The above findings can be made by the City Council, upon the recommendation of the Design Review Board and the Planning Commission. Staff believes based on the project design, the above findings can be made since the proposal would add only minimal visibility and mass to the already developed area on the property. Due to the Hillside zoning of the property the proposed addition also requires an Environmental and Design Review Permit. The PD1701-H does not restrict the size or number of accessory structures on this property as long as the property complies with the setback requirements (100-ft. front, 20-ft. sides and 25-ft. rear); maximum building height of 30 ft.; 20% lot coverage; and 34.4% natural state requirements. The proposal complies with these standards. Public Works Department, Building and Fire Prevention and Marin County Parks Department have reviewed the project, did not express any concern and recommended approval of the project without any special conditions or requirements. The Design Review Board reviewed the project on March 6, 2012 and unanimously recommended approval of the project with the recommendation for planting of five 15-gallon Live Oak trees to provide some screening for the residence from a hiking trail through the hills west of the property. The current plans incorporate this recommendation. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Planning Commission adopt the attached resolution recommending conditional approval of the project application to the City Council. REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION - Case No: ED11-056 Page 2 PROPERTY FACTS Address/Location: 1499 Lucas Valley Road Parcel Number(s): 165-010-89 Property Size: 8.9 acres (387,684 sq. ft.) Neighborhood: Lucas Valley Site Characteristics General Plan Designation Zoning Designation Existing Land-Use Project Site: Hillside Residential PD(1701)-H (Planned District) Single Family Residential Estate North: Unincorporated area Unincorporated area Single Family Residence South: OS (Open Space) P/OS (Parks/Open Space District) Open Space East: OS P/OS Open Space West: OS P/OS Open Space Site Description & Setting: The subject parcel is located on Lucas Valley Road, south of the Lucas Valley Road and Mount Muir Court intersection (Exhibit 1: Vicinity Map). Lucas Valley Road is a County road with a 48-ft. right-of-way in this area and is improved with one lane and a bicycle lane in each direction. Of all the properties located on Lucas Valley Road, the site is the only property within the City of San Rafael jurisdiction. There are two adjoining properties which are large lots. The one to the north of the property contains a single family residence. The other is a County open space lot which wraps around the property along north (partial length), south and east property lines. The project site is an upsloping property with an average slope of 9.4%. Although the property does not have an average slope of 25% or over, it is considered as Hillside property since the property is designated Hillside Residential by General Plan 2020. The front 400 feet of the property is gently upsloping. From that point on, the property has a steeper upslope with the eastern portion of the property sloping more than the driveway (western) side. A long driveway is located along the western side of the property. The driveway provides access to an open equestrian arena and 3,700 sq. ft. barn located towards the front of the property, and to the existing single family residence with a pool, two-car attached garage, and a two-car detached garage with second story exercise room located towards the rear of the property. The front of the property does not contain a lot of trees whereas the steeper area in middle of the property contains a large number of trees which screen the existing development at the rear of the property. BACKGROUND The existing development on the property was approved by the City Council in accord with a Planned Development Ordinance (PD1701-H) adopted for the development on August 5, 1996 (Exhibit 3). Under the Hillside Resource Residential General Plan designation, the property could have been divided into four (4) separate single family lots. However the applicant at that time proposed to maintain the site as a single family estate. Therefore, in consideration of the size of the site and the fact that subdivision into 4 lots was not proposed, the PD was ultimately adopted to allow more development on one single family than is typically allowed for hillside properties. This allowance was based on the fact that the property was large (8.9 acres), only had a 9.4% average slope, located in a rural area where the proposed development would be either far removed from any public right of way or screened behind existing landscape and the project did not propose to subdivide the property The PD1701-H Zoning established the following standards for development on this property: REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION - Case No: ED11-056 Page 3 Minimum Site Area 8.9 acre parcel Front Setback 100 ft. Side Setback 20 ft. Rear Setback 25 ft. Lot Coverage 20% Natural State 34.4% Single Family Residence with 2-car garage 6,500 sq. ft. Detached 2-car garage with upper story second residential unit/exercise room 1,100 sq. ft. Pool and Cabana with bathrooms, equipment room and patio 500 sq. ft. Barn with caretakers quarters 3,700 sq. ft. Covered riding arena 7,000 sq. ft. Total 18,800 sq. ft. The adopted PD allowed two second units (one above the detached garage and the other in the barn as a caretaker unit) in addition to the main single family home and contains a provision to allow one additional second residential unit in future subject to a Use Permit approval by the Planning Commission. The PD did not restrict the size or number of accessory structures. Further, as stated above, the PD limited the Single Family Residence size at 6,500 sq. ft., however, allowing its expansion with an exception to be granted by the City Council consistent with the Hillside Design Guidelines and without amendment to the PD. Of the approvals allowed by PD1701-H, the applicant has built most of the improvements, but has not yet built the one second unit above the detached garage, the 500 sq. ft. pool cabana and a 7,000 sq. ft. structure for the existing equestrian open arena. Since these the second unit and the two structures are already approved under the PD and were approved by the original Design Review Permit, the property owners have the option of building them after obtaining building permits as without any further approvals (unless design changes are made). These two additional structures are not proposed as part of this application. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The application for an Environmental and Design Review Permit proposes to add single story additions of a 268 sq. ft. crafts room, 1,214 sq. ft. theater and 535 sq. ft. covered courtyard attached to the existing 6,500 sq. ft. single family residence and a new 622 sq. ft. detached garage. With the additions, the total size of the Single Family Residence would be 8,517 sq. ft. The property is accessed with a long driveway off Lucas Valley Road. The proposed project would not modify the existing driveway. The proposed additions would be attached to the south and west of the existing residence. The proposed detached garage would be located 8 ft. north of the existing detached garage. The proposed additions along with the existing residence would be screened from public view from Lucas Valley Road. REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION - Case No: ED11-056 Page 4 The proposed additions to the Single Family Residence would have hip roofs and materials and colors would match the existing residence as follows: • Concrete tile roofing • Fascia and gutter painted to match existing • Cement plaster siding to match existing • Dual pane, Low E windows, prefinished aluminum clad window frames, frames to match existing • Wrought iron hand and guardrail at outside access to crafts room • Wrought iron security gate. The initial submittal of this project did not include any new landscaping. However, the Design Review Board (DRB) recommended planting of five (5), 15-gallon Live Oak trees to provide some screening from the hiking trail located to the west of the proposed development. The current plans incorporate the DRB recommendation by proposing to plant six (6) 15-gallon Live Oak trees. No new external lighting is proposed at this time. Only fine grading is proposed to prepare building pads. Any increase in drainage due to new additions would be added to the existing drainage pattern. ANALYSIS San Rafael General Plan 2020 Consistency: The proposed project is consistent with the applicable San Rafael General Plan policies as follows: LU-10 (Planned Development Zoning) in that the subject property is already zoned Planned Development (PD1701-H). The PD1701-H Section II.J. Additions/Modifications allows additions to the existing 6,500 sq. ft. Single Family Residence through an Exception. The proposed project is requesting approval of an Exception to the existing PD District to allow for an increase in the square footage of the single family residence from 6,500 sq. ft. to 8,517 sq. ft. LU-12 (Building Heights) in that the existing and proposed 19¾-ft. building height is well within the 30-ft. allowed maximum height. LU-23 (Land Use Map and Categories), in that residential uses (among other uses) are allowed uses under the Hillside Residential designation of the property. CD-15 (Participation in Project Review) in that notice for the project hearings were mailed to all property owners, residents, neighborhood groups and interested parties within 300 feet of the project site. S-26 (Fire and Police Services) in that the existing and proposed development complies with Fire Codes. Zoning Ordinance Consistency: Planned District (1701-H) As stated in the Background section above, due to the large size (8.9 acres) of the project site that could have been divided into four (4) lots, the PD1701-H was adopted in 1996 to allow more development on a single family lot than is typically allowed for hillside properties. A typical hillside property is allowed a maximum of 6,500 sq. ft. floor area, regardless of the size of the lot, whereas the PD1701-H Zoning established the single family residence size at 6,500 sq. ft., allowed two second dwelling units but did not restrict the size or number of accessory structures. Further, the PD1701-H zoning also established large setbacks and reduced lot coverage of 20%. According to the PD1701-H subsection J. Additions/Modifications of Section II. Development Standards, an Exception would be required for the single family home to exceed 6,500 sq ft (currently proposed to REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION - Case No: ED11-056 Page 5 be 8,517 sq. ft.). According to SRMC 14.12.040 Exceptions to Property Development Standards, approval of an Exception to the maximum 6,500 sq. ft. allowed for the single family residence would require the following findings: A. The project design alternative meets the stated objectives of the hillside design guidelines to preserve the inherent characteristics of hillside sites, display sensitivity to the natural hillside setting and compatibility with nearby hillside neighborhoods, and maintain a strong relationship to the natural setting; and B. Alternative design solutions which minimize grading, retain more of the project site in its natural state, minimize visual impacts, protect significant trees, or protect natural resources result in a demonstrably superior project with greater sensitivity to the natural setting and compatibility with and sensitivity to nearby structures. The above findings can be made by the City Council, upon the recommendation of the Design Review Board and the Planning Commission, when the applicant has demonstrated that the proposed design carries out the objectives of this chapter. Staff believes the proposed project carries out the objectives of hillside development in that the proposed project would provide a lot coverage of 5.38% where 20% is allowed, maintain the existing natural state of 85.3% where 34.4% is required, protect significant trees and the project would not be visible from public right of way; the project would not need any grading or tree removal; the addition would mainly infill the area around the existing Residence and would minimally change the developed footprint. Further, the Design Review Board supported the project. Chapter 12 - Hillside Development Overlay District The PD1701-H zoning district for the property establishes all other development standards of Chapter 12, except gross building square footage, stepback height and Ridgeline Development. The project is consistent with Chapter 12 of the Zoning Ordinance in terms of stepback height and Ridgeline Development. Consistency with gross building square footage criteria is discussed above. The PD1701- H zoning establishes the single family residence size to be a maximum of 6,500 sq. ft. unless an Exception is granted by the City Council consistent with Hillside Design Guidelines. Chapter 25 Environmental and Design Review Permits The project is consistent with design criteria of Chapter 25 of the Zoning Ordinance in that the project design, including its building scale, materials and colors, is consistent with the existing residence. Due to the rural nature of the area, there is no neighborhood development to compare the proposed project with. The Design Review Board reviewed the project for consistency with Hillside Design Standards as discussed below and recommended approval of the design as presented with a condition to plant five (5) Live Oak trees to screen the existing development and the proposed additions from an existing hiking trail located to the west of the property. San Rafael Design Guidelines: As discussed above, the project is generally consistent with the San Rafael Residential Design Guidelines criteria regarding building design, building scale, building height, front landscaping, roof shapes, windows, driveways and parking areas, and lighting. Hillside Design Guidelines: The Hillside Design Guidelines Checklist prepared for this project is attached (Exhibit 4). The project complies with maximum building height, required natural state, stepback height, preservation of significant trees, hillside grading and drainage, driveway and parking design, reduction of building bulk, hillside architectural character and site lighting. However, as stated earlier the project does not comply with the maximum allowed 6,500 sq. ft. for a single family residence, for which an Exception request is being processed and discussed previously. REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION - Case No: ED11-056 Page 6 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD RECOMMENDATION The project was reviewed by the Design Review Board (DRB) on March 6, 2012 (Commissioner Sonnet served as Planning Commission liaison). No one addressed the DRB regarding this project. There are no written minutes from the meeting that DRB meetings are now video recorded. A video of the actual proceedings from the meeting can be viewed at: http://www.cityofsanrafael.org/meetings by clicking on the “video” link for the March 6, 2012 Design Review Board meeting. In summary, by a unanimous vote of 5-0, the DRB recommended approval of the addition, including the Exception to the gross building square footage limit, to the Planning Commission and City Council. The Board supported the project as presented, finding that due to the large size of the property and the screened location of the proposed additions, the project would not impact any other surrounding private property or the public vantage points and the proposed additions would not be visible from Lucas Valley Road. In order to screen the visibility of the proposed additions along with the existing development from a hiking trail located to the west of the property, the DRB recommended planting of five (5) 15-gallon Live Oak trees. The current plans include the proposal for planting of the six (6) trees, one tree more than that recommended by the DRB. ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION The proposed project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Section 15301(e).1) of the CEQA Guidelines which exempts additions to existing structures less than 10,000 square feet. NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING / CORRESPONDENCE Notice of hearing for the project was conducted in accordance with noticing requirements contained in Chapter 29 of the Zoning Ordinance. A Notice of Public Hearing was mailed to all property owners and occupants within a 300-foot radius of the subject site, and all other interested parties, 15 calendar days prior to the date of all meetings, including this hearing. Public notice was also posted on the subject site 15 calendar days prior to the date of all meetings, including this hearing. No phone calls or written public correspondence was received regarding the proposed project during the DRB stage of the project processing and during the current Planning Commission process by April 19, 2012. OPTIONS The Planning Commission has the following options: 1. Approve the application as presented. (staff recommendation) 2. Approve the application with certain modifications, changes or additional conditions of approval. 3. Continue the applications to allow the applicant to address any of the Commission’s comments or concerns. 4. Recommend denial of the project and direct staff to return with revised Resolution. EXHIBITS 1. Vicinity/Location Map 2. Draft Resolution REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION - Case No: ED11-056 Page 7 3. Planned Development (PD1701-H) 4. Hillside Design Guidelines Checklist 5. Letter from applicant, dated January 24, 2012 Reduced (11”x17” Reductions) Size Project Plans (Distributed to PC Members Only)