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2-story appeals go to planners

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Lolita Harper

Recent debate surrounding contentious two-story home remodels has

caused a shift in the Planning Department’s approval of such projects

and increased the need for formal scrutiny, officials say.

The Planning Commission on Monday will review appeals of four

distinct second-story construction projects, each of which were

denied by city Zoning Administrator Perry Valantine. The recent rash

of denials follows a handful of similar home remodel projects that

suffered from substantial community opposition.

Two Eastside proposals, one on Broadway Avenue and another on

Flower Street, were appealed by Councilman Gary Monahan, who said the

city must make its approval process uniform so residents can approach

projects with confidence. Monahan argues that the city’s requirement

that projects be “harmonious and compatible” are far too subjective

and leave residents unsure about what the city wants from them.

“It’s gotten to the point where anyone who needs room for a

growing family is being moved out of town,” Monahan said. “If the

project complies with code, it should be built by right.”

Valantine admitted he had changed his review criteria as a result

of previous neighborhood contention about the issue.

Each project requires a “minor design review” by the city zoning

administrator, whose job is to ensure the proposed development would

be appropriate for the neighborhood. The word “minor” in the title

means that such projects do not require commission approval or staff

review.

Planning Commission Chairwoman Katrina Foley said each project

needs to be scrutinized individually because of the inherent eclectic

nature of Costa Mesa. She argues that no uniform planning guidelines

can be applied to a city in which neighborhoods and homes vary so

greatly in design, residents and layout.

“What is good for one lot is not necessarily good for another,”

Foley said.

The zoning administrator said he used to measure a project’s

compatibility based on the changes that would be seen from the street

because he understood the greatest concern to be the “character” of

the neighborhood.

“I felt the character of the neighborhood -- and maybe this is

because I don’t actually live there -- was primarily established from

the street,” Valantine said.

“I’ve realized there is more to this issue than what you see from

the front,” he said.

In some of the more controversial cases, residents consistently

complained of a lack of privacy, being seen in their backyards from

up above and blocked views. A group of residents of one Eastside

tract even petitioned city leaders to create a specific zone for

their homes that would more strictly regulate two-story additions.

Monahan brought their concerns to the council and asked to study

the possibility of an “overlay zone” for a tract confined by Tustin

and Irvine avenues and 18th and 19th streets.

Karen Diedrich, whose two-story addition was denied by Valantine,

said her property is different from other Eastside homeowners and

could not be viewed in the same light.

“Our home is not like a tract neighborhood, where everybody has

the same configuration,” Diedrich said. “We are just trying to make

it large enough to be livable for us and still have some backyard.”

The other two housing projects being appealed are on West 19th

Street and Magnolia.

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