CCMIN071503 - Laserfiche WebLink

Vanessa Kawaihau, 871 Sycamore Road, referred to an earlier speaker who requested Council to maintain the process so he could increase his quality of life by getting second story houses. She wanted the community to stay involved in the process. She referred to the Happy Valley Specific Plan which would allow a 25% FAR for a two-story building and 40% for a one- story building. That means she could have a 16,000 sq. ft. home on her lot. She did not want that large a house and if she decided to rebuild her home would prefer a house the same size she currently has, at 1,100 sq. ft. She would welcome input from her neighbors. She objected to the proposal of having automatic approval for a two-story home. Steven Siner indicated it has been difficult to accommodate the neighbors and reconcile differences. He acknowledged there should be some input on his home design, but that does not mean they should have veto power. He said the effect on sunlight to the Karo home would be minimal. He did not see how increasing the value of his home would diminish the value of other homes. He said he had discussed this proposal with other neighbors and could bring in cards of support, but chose not to do that because he felt it would further polarize the neighborhood. He said he could not control what happened 35-40 years ago, but that is not the situation today. There are nine other two-story homes. It is hard to differentiate the old section from the new section, which is why he said there were 62 units. He did not think rezoning was a viable option at this point. If he has to take this to court, it would be pursuant to the existing zoning and not ~vhat would be imposed in the future. He regretted it has come to this point. There being no further speakers, the public hearing was closed. Mayor Pico referred to the new state regulations regarding secondary units or granny flats and asked if the Siners were building a secondary unit with separate entrance, would Council be precluded from challeng/ng the height restrictions? How would the law apply if the Siners decided to build a secondary unit over the garage? Mr. Swift said second units used to be a conditional use. State law has changed so that second units are now permitted uses in all R-1 zones. Council still requires design review approval for second units if they are outside of an existing structure. Mayor Pico asked if the Siners had considered a second story over the garage? Mr. Swift was not aware of any such proposal. A second unit over their garage would not meet the height limits because this is a detached garage and the zoning rules set forth a fifteen-foot height limit. Mayor Pico recalled a prior application for a second story addition on Arlington Court. In that case, there were three two-story houses, but the garages were at a lower elevation so the homes appeared lower. He had concerns about changing the character of the Rosepointe neighborhood. At this point, he was leaning toward a zoning change to keep this a single-story neighborhood, so this issue would not come up again. Ms. Ayala also recalled the prior issue and still felt the same as she did then. Pleasanton is entering a period where people will buy homes in various developments with the intention of Pleasanton City Council 13 07/15/03 Minutes