Not every addition deserves approval

Katrina Foley and Eleanor Egan

The Daily Pilot, in its Thursday editorial (“Home-addition options

must be kept open”), advocates, in essence, that if a neighborhood

contains any two-story homes, all proposals for second-story

additions must be approved for the sake of consistency, regardless of

any other considerations. The Pilot pays lip service to general

plan-mandated issues such as “the look and feel of the community,”

but concludes that an individual property owner’s desires should

trump all other issues.

Costa Mesa’s City Council and Planning Commission respect the

property rights of all owners, those who desire to add on to their

homes as well as those whose property is affected by their neighbors’

additions. For this reason, the council and commission have generally

approved home expansions. The rare exceptions have been for reasons

other than that they were two-story projects.

City staff has approved 46 of the 48 applications received for

second-story additions since design guidelines were adopted several

months ago. Only the two really controversial, close cases have even

reached the Planning Commission.

The Planning Commission, on a 4-1 vote, approved one of those two

proposed projects (Aviemore Terrace), which neighboring homeowners

objected to because its design was such as to block the ocean view of

some of its neighbors. On the other proposal (Sumatra Place), the

commission decided, unanimously, that the project needed further

design work. Its size and mass overwhelmed the lot and the

neighborhood, adding about 1,830 square feet plus a 60-square-foot

balcony to an existing 1,307-square-foot house on a 6,000-square-foot

lot. Some of the commissioners expressly stated, just before voting,

that a smaller second-story addition could be acceptable.

The City Council has heard only one case, Aviemore Terrace. They

decided that ocean views should be protected and denied the project.

However, that decision does not preclude a redesigned addition that

would not block ocean views.

It is an extraordinary leap of logic to characterize these two

very special cases as deciding that a Costa Mesa homeowner can’t add

a second story. The truth is that the policy of the City Council and

Planning Commission of Costa Mesa is to allow second-story additions,

as long as they meet the design guidelines and are harmonious and

compatible with the neighborhood. If that is also the Pilot’s

position, there is no controversy over the matter.

* KATRINA ANNE FOLEY and ELEANOR EGAN are Costa Mesa planning

commissioners.