Costa Mesa second-story second guessed

Deirdre Newman

One family’s desire to expand its home is impinging on another

family’s desire for privacy on the Eastside of town.

The Rices, who live on Rose Lane, want to add a second story to

increase their living space and accommodate two ailing older members

of their family.

But the Snyders, who live behind the Rice family on Camellia Lane,

are afraid the addition will make them feel like they are living in a

fish tank.

So the Snyders appealed the Rices’ application for a second-story

addition. The Planning Commission will consider the appeal today.

The appeal is another illustration of the ambiguous and

frustrating nature of the city’s second-story approval process, which

has led to numerous instances of second stories being either approved

or denied, and then overturned. The Planning Commission has been

wrestling with changes to the zoning code and residential design

guidelines to expedite and elucidate the process.

John Rice said he began designing expansion plans last May and

spent about $15,000 on the original drawings. But city planners did

not approve, so Rice redid the plans for another $10,000 to $12,000,

he said. The new design will also cost $20,000 more to construct and

include less square footage than the original plans, he added.

The Rices’ plans call for a building height of 23 feet, the limit

being 27 feet for second stories. All of the project’s criteria meet

or exceed existing residential development standards and design

guidelines.

Rice said the main reason he and his family, which includes his

wife and young son, are looking to expand is to make room for his

father-in-law and his mother, who are not in good health, should they

need to move in.

“I come from a family where that’s what you do with your family,”

Rice said. “From a traditional family values standpoint, that’s

important.”

The Rices also want to make their home more spacious than the

current 970 square feet allows, John said.

On April 3, the zoning administrator approved the expansion. A

week later, the Snyders appealed, mainly citing privacy issues. Mike

and Tracy Snyder said they are considering moving if the expansion is

approved.

“They’ve got five windows aimed directly at my house,” Mike Snyder

said. “I don’t want to be right on top of each other. I don’t want

them to know anything that goes on at my house and could care less

about what goes on at their house.”

Snyder said he and many of his neighbors are also concerned that

if the Rices’ expansion is approved, it would set a precedent for the

neighborhood, which would eventually look like Newport Heights, where

“there’s just house after house right on top of each other.”

He suggests that the Rices expand their house into “their very

large back yard,” but this is anathema to the Rices, who moved to the

neighborhood explicitly for more yard space, John said.

“We were living in the Newport area and had a much bigger home,

but no yard and no space at all,” John said. “That became the reason

why we bought this house ... because we have yard and space and

separation from our neighbors.”

Since the proposed second story has greater setbacks than the

first, which will lessen the building mass, and because the project

meets or exceeds all the standards and guidelines, city planners are

recommending the addition be approved.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.