16 Eucalyptus Road
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BELVEDERE PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT ITEM NO. 5. REPORT DATE: 7/13/2012 MEETING DATE: 7117/2012 REPORT WRITTEN BY: Pierce Macdonald, Planning Manager REPORT·REVIEWED BY: Emily Longfellow, Deputy City Attorney \ SUBJECT: Demolition, Design Review, Exception to Total Floor Area, Second Unit, Revocable License LOCATION: 16 Eucalyptus Road OWNER: 16 Eucalyptus Road Trust APPLICANT: Sutro Architects ATTACHMENTS: 1. Draft Resolutions 4. June 19, 2012 Staff Report 2. Applications (with attachments) 3. Project Plans 5. Willis Land Surveying a. June 6, 2012 Plans Letter, dated July 2, 2012 b. July 12, 2012 Revisions 6. Correspondence received after June 19, 2012 CEQA STATUS: Exempt pursuant to Section 15303, New Construction or Conversion APPROVAL Application accepted as complete on May 31, 2012. City action DEADLINE: must be taken by July 30, 2012 or the project may be deemed approved. ZONING: R-15 Single Family Residential, Belvedere Island ZONING PARAMETERS ELEMENT PRESCRIBED EXISTING PROPOSED Lot Area 15,000 23,401 s.f. No Change (24,451 s.f. total) Lot Coverage 30% 11.6% 19.2% - incl. decks 50% 11.6% 20.2% Total Floor Area 4,850 s.f. 2,658 s.f. 5,874 s.f. Front yard Setback Garage2 O' 12' 13' Residence 15' 28' 23' Side yard Setback (left) 10' 31.5' 12' Side yard Setback (right) Garage O' NIA 15' Residence 10' 63' 18' Rear yard Setback 20' 67' 58' Building Height1 36' 32' 36' Building Average < 28' < 28' <28' Parking Spaces 2 (+l for Second Unit) 2 3 1Where the average slope on the building site of a lot is thirty percent or more, a height of thirty-six feet is permitted. (BMC 19.56.060) 2Where the slope of the property exceeds 20% within the first 40 feet of the front property line, a garage may have a 0-foot setback. (BMC 19.48.190.F) Staff Report for 16 Eucalyptus Road Owner: 16 Eucalyptus Road Trust July 17, 2012 Page2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION The project site is a 24,451-square-foot, steeply down-sloping lot on Belvedere Island. The site is characterized by a failing single-family residence and mature Eucalyptus, Acacia, Cedar, and Oak trees. The existing residence has been uninhabitable for many years. A view easement belonging to the property at 14 Eucalyptus Road is located on the northwesterly side of the property. A road easement and approximately 1,050 square feet of Eucalyptus Road (a public roadway maintained by the City of Belvedere) encroach onto the property. The new property owners have filed applications with the City of Belvedere Planning Department to demolish the existing residence and construct a new residence. On March 20, 2012, the City's Consulting Architect Jack MacAllister filed a report about the proposed design. The Tiburon Fire Protection District also reviewed the plans and the Fire Marshal's comments were forwarded to the project's design team on April 19, 2012. The proposed plans were revised to address many comments raised in the Fire Marshal's report and MacAllister's report, as well as to respond to the neighbor outreach conducted by the project's design team. The Fire Marshal's and Consulting Architect's reports are included in Attachment 4. On June 19, 2012, the Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider applications for Demolition, Design Review, Second Unit, Exception to Total Floor Area, and Revocable License. The staff report prepared for the item was supportive of the proposed architectural design, colors and materials. The staff report explained that early comments from the Fire District regarding the proposed landscaping had not yet been addressed by the project designers. For these reasons, staff was unable to recommend approval because landscaping would be integral to the consideration of privacy, lighting and screening of the new residence. Staff also noted the correspondence received about the project from residents at 18 Eucalyptus Road, 14 Eucalyptus Road (residents and property owners), 77 Belvedere A venue, 29 Eucalyptus Road, 127 Golden Gate Avenue, and 17 Eucalyptus Road. The Planning Commission opened the public hearing and took public comment from the owners of 18 Eucalyptus Road, 29 Eucalyptus Road, and 26 Eucalyptus Road, and from Michael Heckman, an architect representing the property owners at 14 Eucalyptus Road. Most of the speakers praised the proposed architectural and landscaping design. The owners of numbers 18, 29, and 14 Eucalyptus Road raised concerns regarding light spillover, privacy, view obstructions, story poles, bulk and mass, narrowing of view corridors, and the colors and materials of the privacy screen. After the close of the public hearing, the Commissioners discussed the applications. They complimented the design and noted the importance of the Fire Marshal's review of the landscape plan. Most Commissioners directed the applicant to address the privacy wall facing 18 Eucalyptus Road and to continue to meet with adjacent property owners. At the close of the item, the Planning Commission directed staff to return to the July 17, 2012 Planning Commission meeting with draft resolutions of approval. On June 26, 2012, Planning Commission Chairman Campbell and City staff met with the architect and landscape architect to review the Commission's direction. The design team representatives questioned staff and Chairman Campbell about the meeting. Staff noted the concerns regarding headlights directed toward 14 Eucalyptus Road, questions related to the effectiveness and design of the privacy screen, and the removal of additional trees in response to Staff Report for 16 Eucalyptus Road Owner: 16 Eucalyptus Road Trust July 17, 2012 Page 3 the Fire District's requirements. Staff suggested that the design team continue to meet with adjacent property owners and increase the number and sizes of proposed new trees. Staff noted the large amounts of glass and asked the design team to address questions related to light spillover and glare, including light projecting outward from the interior of the home. On June 27, 2012, staff visited the property at 14 Eucalyptus-~oad. Staff noted the closeness of the proposed Second Unit and Carport to the deck of the residence there and the way that the existing path of travel directs the view from 14 Eucalyptus Road toward the new structures. Staff also noted that a large multi-trunk tree not identified on the plans will be removed at the footing of the new Carport and Second Unit. One July 12, 2012, Chairman Campbell and City staff met with the property owner of 18 Eucalyptus Road and Architect Ron Wager to review changes proposed by the project design team. The property owner expressed concern regarding the privacy impacts to the guest house, entry and courtyard windows from the proposed deck at 16 Eucalyptus Road, which would not be screened by the proposed privacy wall. He expressed that the proposed landscaping would be inadequate to ensure privacy into the future. The property owner requested that the privacy wall height be increased by 18 to 24 inches to maintain privacy and screen light spillover; that the width of the privacy wall be extended toward Belvedere A venue by 18 to 24 inches to better screen the deck from the guest house and entry at 18 Eucalyptus Road; and that the surface of the deck at 16 Eucalyptus Road be replaced with a material such as a buiit-in landscape planter, "green roof' landscape area, a shallow water feature, etc., to limit gathering and entertaining in close proximity to the bedroom at 18 Eucalyptus Road. These suggestions were transmitted to the project design team later that day. PROJECT ANALYSIS At this time the applicants have revised portions of the plans, including new sheets for the story pole plan, site plan, elevations, and landscape plans. The accuracy of the story poles was certified by Willis Professional Land Surveying on July 2, 2012. The project applicants continue to request Planning Commission review and approval of applications for Demolition, Design Review, Exception to Total Floor Area, Second Unit, and Revocable License. The staff report prepared for the June meeting (Attachment 4) described the Demolition, Second Unit, and Revocable License in detail. The following staff report addresses the landscaping and other changes in regards to the other requested entitlements. DESIGN REVIEW The project architects continue to propose a two-story, 5,874-square-foot residence in a Contemporary architectural style. The new home would provide four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and a half-bath, as well as a study, gym, and independent second dwelling unit. The project's landscape designer proposes a comprehensive landscape plan to replace the existing mature stands of Eucalyptus, Cedar and Acacia trees and French Broom shrubs that would be removed. Four, 36-inch-box evergreen Strawberry Trees (Arbutus marina) would be planted in addition to evergreen trees and shrubs in 15 gallon sizes. The project's design team also proposes additional plantings of deciduous trees and shrubs including Ninebark, Western Staff Report for 16 Eucalyptus Road Owner: 16 Eucalyptus Road Trust July 17, 2012 Page4 Redbud, Kousa Dogwood, and Currant. Exterior landscape lighting consists of path lights and louvered wall lights at the proposed driveway wall. A 5-foot-tall fence consisting of free standing steel rods similar to the design at 17 Eucalyptus Road is proposed along the front of the property, and a 6-foot-tall cable rail fence is proposed along the sides and rear of the property. Project revisions in response to the Planning Commission direction submitted after the June 19, 2012 Planning Commission meeting include the following: 1. A solid balustrade is shown adjacent to the car court on Sheets Al.2 D, A2.1D, and A2.4D. Staff supports this change and recommends that the number and size of plantings between the carport and 14 Eucalyptus Road be increased to provide an attractive feature and screen the cars and headlights in this area.