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.
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