| | | | | | | |  | CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
PLANNING COMMISSION
Staff Report |
October 12, 2022
PUBLIC HEARINGS |
| | | | | | | | TO:
| Chair LePage and Planning Commissioners
| SUBMITTED BY:
| Marnie R. Waffle, AICP, Principal Planner
| APPROVED BY:
| Brandon Swanson, Community Planning & Building Director
| | SUBJECT: | DS 22-233 (Latham): Consideration of a combined Concept and Final Design Study for additions totaling 415 square feet to an existing 1,143-square-foot residence, inclusive of a detached garage, located at Lobos Street 2 northwest of 2nd Avenue in the Single-Family Residential (R-1) District. APN 010-016-008 |
|
| | | | | | | | | Application: DS 22-233 (Latham) | APN: 010-016-008 | | Block:18 | Lot:17 | | Location: Lobos Street 2 northwest of 2nd Avenue | | Applicant:Wynkoop Design Company | Property Owner: Daniel E Latham TR |
|
| | | | | | | | | Executive Summary: | | The project includes a 355-square-foot two-story addition on the rear elevation and a 60-square-foot foyer addition on the front elevation. The lot size is 4,000 square feet. The residence was found to be ineligible for the Carmel Historic Inventory on October 7, 2022, and no trees are proposed for removal. Due to the minor nature of the proposed improvements, and lack of issues surrounding the project, staff is recommending that the concept and final hearings be combined into one decision by the Commission. |
| Recommendation: | | Adopt a Resolution (Attachment 1) approving a Combined Concept and Final Design Study for additions totaling 415 square feet to an existing 1,143-square-foot residence located at Lobos Street 2 northwest of 2nd Avenue in the Single-Family Residential (R-1) District. |
| Background and Project Description: | | The residence was constructed in 1947. The 903-square-foot residence is a small, post-war suburban house typical of homes built throughout the country after World War II. The property was reviewed by qualified professional Margaret Clovis for historical significance on October 7, 2022, and found ineligible for the Carmel Historical Inventory. Determinations of ineligibility are valid for five years. The applicant proposes to construct additions totaling 415 square feet. |
| Staff Analysis: | Forest Character: Residential Design Guidelines 1.1 through 1.4 encourages preserving significant trees and minimizing impacts on established trees; protecting the root systems of all trees to be preserved; and, maintaining a forested image on the site.
Staff Response: The City Forester identified four trees on, or adjacent to, the project site during the preliminary site assessment, including three Monterey pine and one Coast live oak. Two of the three Monterey pines have been rated significant as well as the Coast live oak. The remaining Monterey pine died and has been removed. The applicant is not requesting the removal of any trees. The City Forester recommends the standard tree density of three upper canopy trees and one lower canopy tree. This has been included in Condition of Approval No. 22. With the application of conditions, the project meets the objectives of forest character.
Privacy and Views: Residential Design Guidelines 5.1 through 5.3 encourages designs that preserve reasonable privacy for adjacent properties and maintain view opportunities to natural features.
Staff Response: Staff did not identify any potential privacy or view impacts.
Parking and Access: Residential Design Guidelines 6.1 through 6.7 encourages subordinate parking facilities that do not dominate the design of the house or site; minimize the amount of paved surface for a driveway; position garages to maximize open space, views and privacy; and, minimize visual impacts.
Staff Response: The property contains a detached 240-square-foot single-car garage that is proposed to remain. The garage is located at the rear of the property and is accessed by a concrete driveway, approximately 10 feet wide by 74’ long. The driveway is proposed to be replaced with tire strips to improve the on-site permeability of rainwater. Wood chips are proposed between the tire strips. Condition of Approval No. 15 requires the tire strips to be extended into the right-of-way and connected to the street edge with asphalt. With the application of conditions, the project meets the design objectives of parking and access.
Mass and Bulk: Residential Design Guidelines 7.1 through 7.7 encourages a building’s mass to relate to the context of other homes nearby; minimize the mass of a building as seen from the public way or adjacent properties; and, relate to a human scale in its basic forms.
Staff Response: The project includes a two-story bedroom and office addition on the rear elevation and a single-story foyer addition on the front elevation. The proposed bedroom would replace an existing 170-square-foot rear yard deck at the main level of the residence and the proposed office would be partially subgrade below the bedroom. The office would be accessible from an exterior staircase in the rear yard. The rear yard deck would be reconstructed on the south end of the rear elevation and reduced in size to 160 square feet.
The plate and ridge heights on the front elevation would not change. On the rear elevation, the addition would be two-story and the plate height and ridge heights would increase from 11’-9” to 16’-4” and 16’-3” to 17’-11”, respectively. The massing of the additions is appropriate within the context of the project site and nearby homes. Only the foyer addition on the front elevation would be visible from the street. The project meets the objectives of mass and bulk.
Building and Roof Form: Residential Design Guidelines 8.1 through 8.5 encourages traditional building forms; using restraint with variations in building planes; using simple roof forms that are proportionate to the scale of the building; and, roof eave lines that are low in scale.
Staff Response: The foyer addition is rectangular in form and would create a stepped wall plan along the front elevation. The two-story bedroom and office addition is square in form and would be a continuation of the north wall of the residence. The existing 3:12 front gable roof would remain and a new, smaller 3:12 gable roof would be constructed over the addition. The roof form over the addition would be subordinate to the primary gable roof. The project meets the objectives of building and roof form.
Finish Details: The applicant is proposing Hardie smooth panel vertical board and batten siding painted in Sherwin Williams “Creamy”, a light tan color, with an eggshell finish. The foundation of the residence would be finished with painted stucco in La Hambra “Aspen”, a light beige. The composition shingle roof is proposed to be replaced with standing seam metal in “Riverwood”, a dark brown. The applicant is proposing Marvin Signature Ultimate duel glazed, aluminum-clad wood windows in “Bronze”, also a dark brown.
Exterior Lighting: Carmel Municipal Code Section 15.36.070.B.1 states that all exterior lighting attached to the main building or any accessory building shall be no higher than 10 feet above the ground and shall not exceed 25 watts (incandescent equivalent; i.e., approximately 375 lumens) in power per fixture, and that landscape lighting shall not exceed 18 inches above the ground nor more than 15 watts (incandescent equivalent; i.e., approximately 225 lumens) per fixture.
In addition, Residential Design Guideline 11.8, states that projects should, “preserve the low nighttime lighting character of the residential neighborhoods. Use lights only where needed for safety and at outdoor activity areas.”
Staff Response: The applicant is proposing a wall-mounted light fixture by Designers Fountain from the Barclay collection. The fixture has a frosted glass shade with an integrated LED light that emits 250 lumens. A lighting plan was not provided however the location of fixtures is shown on the elevations. At a minimum, the building code requires one light at each exterior door. The applicant is proposing one wall-mounted light at the front door, one at the rear door leading to the deck, and two lights at the new office.
The applicant is also proposing a Hinkley step light from the Taper Step collection. The light emits 160 lumens. The number of step lights proposed is unclear however there are approximately 9 steps leading down to the proposed office and approximately 6 steps at the rear deck. Condition of Approval No. 11 sets forth the lighting requirements and Special Condition of Approval No. 32 requires the applicant to submit a complete exterior lighting plan for review and approval by the Planning Division prior to the issuance of a building permit. With the application of conditions, the project meets the objectives for lighting.
Skylights: Residential Design Guidelines 9.13 and 9.14 state, when a skylight is to be used, it should blend with the overall building design, and its visual impacts should be minimized. Skylights may be appropriate when interior spaces have no access to exterior windows or windows have limited access to light; windows would cause greater impacts on adjoining homes; the skylight design is compatible with the architecture; and, the size is appropriate to the lighting task. Skylights should not be visually prominent from the street or from neighboring windows. The size, placement, number, and design should be an integral part of the building design; skylights should be framed in colors that match adjoining roof surfaces; and, skylights that produce glare or light pollution visible to neighbors or the public should be mitigated.
Staff Response: The applicant proposes three new skylights on the north slope of the roof. Two skylights would be located in the living room and a smaller skylight in the hallway. The dimensions of the living room skylights are approximately 4’-4” by 3’-10”. The hallway skylight would be approximately 2’-4” by 2’-6”. The plans note that the skylights will be low profile, the frame will match the roof color, they will not be visible from the street, and they will include shades to block artificial light at night. Standard Condition of Approval No. 12 requires the applicant to submit the manufacturer’s specifications for all skylights and skylight shades prior to the issuance of a building permit. With the application of conditions, the project meets the design objectives for skylights.
Site Coverage: Carmel Municipal Code Section 17.10.030 limits the amount of site coverage to 22 percent of the base floor area. A bonus of 4 percent of the lot size is allowed when at least half of all site coverage is permeable/semi-permeable. Permeable/semi-permeable materials include gravel, spaced decking, and exterior stairs, sand-set bricks or pavers, garden walkways of small paving stones, and arbors. Impermeable materials include asphalt, concrete, mortared brick and stone, decomposed granite, unspaced decking and balconies at any level, garden walls, solariums, bridges, sheds not counted as floor area, ponds, hot tubs, and swimming pools.
The property contains 1,610 square feet of site coverage and is non-conforming. CMC Section 17.10.030.C.2 states, Nonconforming Site Coverage. Sites not in compliance with site coverage limits shall not be authorized to increase site coverage. Sites with excess coverage may add floor area consistent with subsection (D)(3) of this section, Exterior Volume, only when:
a. The site complies with the R-1 district tree density provisions established in CMC 17.48.080(A), and all existing and new trees have sufficient space to protect the root zones and provide for new growth; and
b. Excess site coverage will be reduced at a rate equal to two times the amount of floor area added to the site or to an amount that complies with the site coverage limits, whichever is less.
As discussed above in the section on Forest Character, the City Forester is recommending the standard tree density of three upper-canopy trees and one lower-canopy tree. The project meets subsection (a).
The project includes additions totaling 415 square feet. Site coverage must be reduced by 830 square feet OR to an amount that complies with site coverage limits. The applicant is proposing 489 square feet of site coverage (556 square feet is permitted if at least half is permeable). The project meets subsection (b).
The applicant is proposing 240 square feet of turf block for the driveway tire strips. Residential Design Guideline 10.5 states that paving materials for driveways should convey the color and texture of native materials. Further, it states that turf block and grey concrete should be avoided. Special Condition of Approval No. 31 requires the applicant to select an alternative material for the driveway strips prior to the issuance of a building permit that is consistent with the Residential Design Guidelines.
Fencing/Gate/Arbor: Residential Design Guidelines 11.1 through 11.3 states, designing without a fence or wall along a street frontage should be considered first; respect the neighborhood context when designing a fence or wall; and, when designing a fence or wall along a street, preserve the open space resources of the immediate neighborhood.
Staff Response: The applicant is proposing a new 3-foot cedar grape stake gate between the garage and the rear deck stairs and a new safety gate at the top of the stairs leading down to the proposed office. The plans do not identify any other existing or proposed fencing. Fences and walls are subject to approval of a Track 1 Design Study. Any changes to existing fencing will require a separate review and approval prior to modification.
|
| Other Project Components: | | Staff recommends the project be found categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), State CEQA guidelines, and local environmental regulations, pursuant to Section 15301 (Class 1) – Existing Facilities. Class 1 exemptions include additions to existing structures provided that the addition will not result in an increase of more than 50 percent of the floor area of the structures before the addition or 2,500 square feet whichever is less. The proposed project does not present any unusual circumstances that would result in a potentially significant environmental impact and no exceptions to the exemption exist pursuant to section 15300.2 of the CEQA Guidelines. |
|
|