Council will examine two-story home plan

Lolita Harper

The City Council will consider tonight a detailed approach to a

mounting problem, as it considers a proposal to prohibit certain

two-story developments in a four-block area.

Councilman Gary Monahan placed the growing concerns of a number of

Eastside residents on the agenda tonight to discuss possible

solutions to over-imposing second-story additions.

Residents of the Eastside tract, confined by Tustin and Irvine

avenues and 18th and 19th streets, have complained to council members

about “big box” two-story developments in the area and asked for

additional zoning restrictions for their neighborhood, according to a

staff report.

Eighteen residents hired consultant Laurie Madigan to present

possible solutions to the unsightly projects, which she describes as

“two-story structures that extend from an existing single-family

home, reaching along the lot’s side and rear yard to the alley, and

[include] second-story construction over a garage.”

Madigan contends that the homes are not consistent with the

“ambience” of the surrounding neighborhood and obstruct the backyard

views of its neighbors. Four such homes have been built in the tract

-- a trend that alarms residents, she wrote in a letter to the city.

The residents do not oppose two-story additions, Madigan wrote,

only those that impose into backyards and over alley garages. They

recommend a zoning restriction that would prohibit new construction

in the rear 40% of a lot.

Monahan, who has long been a proponent of individual property

rights and often criticized other city leaders for trying to

over-regulate residents, said his proposal is consistent with his

previous assertions. He said he has always felt that blanket

regulations ignored the character and diversity of the various

neighborhoods that make up the city and that his proposal would only

be applied in a specific area, where it is supported by residents.

“Every area is different and one size doesn’t fit all,” Monahan

said.

Council members will also review a proposed two-story addition in

the 3000 block of Madison Avenue that would create a two-story,

eight-bedroom, 3,982-square-foot home that some neighbors have argued

is too big for the surrounding area.

The proposed addition garnered the approval of the Planning

Commission last month but was appealed by Councilman Chris Steel the

next day because he was concerned about upholding the integrity of

the neighborhood.

The council will also consider whether it will grant a rehearing

of a two-story addition on Aviemore Terrace, which also created loud

public outcry and resulted in denial by the council. Owners of the

Westside home will present new evidence to council members, who will

then decide if enough proof exists to reexamine the proposed

development.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.