CCMIN020497 - Laserfiche WebLink

the sloping line compared to the ground plane is similar to the line of sight there is still a substantial ridge line visible. Jennifer Buck, 7867 Fair Oaks, urged Council to maintain the existing conditions. She is disappointed in the way the hillside looks now. She thought that no houses would be visible on the hill. If you increase the height of the houses, how can you maintain the beauty of the Foothill corridor? She urged Council to follow the staff recommendations. Hamid Taeb, Project Manager for Boulevard Development, 856 North Commerce Street, Orange, indicated the developer has been making improvements to the property for everyone in the City to enjoy 160 acres of open space. The method of calculating the height of each house is critical. He also said the size of the house is driven by the market. They have found that people want a house larger than 4,500 sq. ft. There being no further testimony, the public hearing was closed. Ms. Dennis felt that 4,500 sq. ft. was a big house. She believed that a darker color would minimize the impact and that retaining the requirement to use natural materials would help the size perception. She would agree to adding 500 sq. ft. if the color of the house were darkened and would agree to adding two feet for the foundation. She also had no objection to __ slightly larger first tier homes. Mr. Pico felt the 4,500 sq. ft. limit on houses in the Foothill Corridor should not be changed for any reason because that was a commitment to the people. If the developer is having trouble marketing the product, that is its problem, not the City's. He is not willing to trade a darker color for more square footage. He had no objection to allowing the additional two feet for the foundation to provide flexibility to eliminate the massiveness of the houses. He also had thought the homes would not be visible. Mr. Tarver agreed the Foothill Corridor should be protected and the house size stay at 4,500 sq. ft. That is a big house and extremely visible, however, he could make a couple of exceptions on Lots 87 and 91 because the pads are down in a valley. Those houses could be 5,000 sq. ft. and 32 ft. in height. He felt grading was the key to bring the size of the house down. He realized Lot 94 was an especially difficult lot to develop. Ms. Michelotti had the same concerns about maintaining the Foothill Overlay. She could agree with allowing two feet for the foundation. She agreed Lots 87 and 91 are quite a distance from Foothill Road. She was concerned about Lots 94 and 96, with special care being given to design review for Lot 96. She did not like the lightest color suggested by the developer and was uncomfortable relaxing the restrictions on stone combinations. Mr. Swift clarified the staff recommendation was to allow stucco in combination with other natural materials. The original requirement did not allow any stucco. 10 2/04/97