2-story appeals go to planners
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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