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reasonable amount of development of the site, without allowing for an excessive total building square footage. Additionally, the proposed height of the residence is approximately 31-feet 3-inches which is slightly taller than the 30-feet maximum allowed in the A-district. Staff worked with the applicant through the review process to achieve some reductions in overall building height, but reducing the height to 30-feet or less proved difficult with the steep roof pitches which are incorporated to consistently integrate the farmhouse style into the building design. Given the proposed home's large setbacks, extensive landscaping, and well-articulated building design, the additional height is largely mitigated (and in fact, likely imperceptible from the street) and meets the intent of the A-district in terms of scale and massing. Despite the slight exceedance of the A-district height limit. the proposed building design would otherwise meet the NSSP design guidelines in the following ways: • Structures should be designed to harmonize with the natural setting and neighboring homes. All structures shall reflect a high standard of architectural design. • Stone and treated wood are encouraged exterior surfaces. Fencing The NSSP provides the following guideline in relation to fences in the PUD-A district: • A uniform fencing treatment is required for new fences. Fences along Sycamore Road should be a maximum of 4-foot in height and of split rail construction. The existing fence along Sycamore Road is a 3-foot tall wood split-rail fence that is painted white. The applicant is proposing to remove this fence and replace it with a five-foot tall wood split-rail fence painted white with unpainted wire mesh backing. The applicant is proposing to deviate from the NSSP fencing guideline in order to comply with the Building Code, which requires five-foot tall fencing that is "non-climbable" around swimming pools. If the proposed fence was only 4-feet tall and did not include the wire mesh (to meet the NSSP guideline), a second fence would need to be provided, in the interior to the site around the pool. The pool sits between multiple large oak trees and adding a fence in that area may impact the trees, as well as provide another built element that might detract from the semi-rural quality of the site. While deviating slightly from the NSSP guideline noted above, staff finds that the proposed fence meets the intent of the NSSP guideline in terms of design and style and will not conflict with the neighborhood, which today reflects a range of different fencing styles and heights. Figure 6 indicates the proposed fencing style and more details can be reviewed in the Landscape Plans in Exhibit B. PUD-131, 481 Sycamore Rd. Planning Commission 8 of 11