NEWPORT BEACH PLANNING COMMISSION PREVIEW

Here are some items the planning commission will consider today.

TALL HOUSEThe D’Amatos, who own a house in the 2300 block of Pacific Drive, want a permit allowing their planned new home to exceed the height limit of 24 feet so parts of a garage, wall and balcony can verge into the frontyard setback. The homeowners plan to replace a home built in 1927 with a larger one.

The property is considered part of a coastal bluff and thus falls under special development rules, but a city staff report said the homes on adjacent properties are similar to what the D’Amatos want to build. Also, the steep slope of the property makes it hard for them to build within the height limit.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Approval is recommended by planning staff.

ILLEGAL GATEThe commission will decide whether a Newport Coast homeowner can keep an iron fence, a gate and a block wall that were built in 2003 without the proper permits. The fence and gate are between 6 and 8 feet high in an area where such structures can only be 3 1/2 feet high.

Homeowner Yu-Chien Liao said county building officials told her she didn’t need a variance, and her construction contractor failed to get building permits for the fence. When the city zoning administrator denied Liao’s request for a permit, she appealed to the commission.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The issue was postponed from a May meeting so the homeowner could have more time to prepare, but no more information has been submitted to the city, so planning staff members recommend denying the permit.

— Compiled by Alicia Robinson