Laserfiche WebLink
Mr. Huff pointed out two things: first, that homeowners desire to have their own homes; and <br />second, that attached homes do not increase the green; it simply takes the green in between the <br />detached homes and puts them together to the side as one mass. <br />Commissioner O'Connor inquired what was envisioned to be on the other side of the garage on <br />the lower level where there is no garage door and a staircase in front of it. Mr. Huff replied that <br />it could possibly be storage space. He added that the final plan will be different in nature, scale, <br />and roofline from what is presented here. <br />Commissioner O'Connor noted that space is limited with five and eight feet between buildings <br />and inquired if there is a way of putting the staircase to the side so a two-car garage can be <br />placed on the bottom. He proposed reducing the guest parking space to accommodate two cars <br />per house with a driveway in front of the garage doors for two guest spaces. He stated that he <br />prefers single-family homes to duplexes but was concerned about parking. Mr. Huff replied that <br />he would like to see the parking offset to the side as opposed to tandem parking to make the <br />project look like amini-community rather than duplexes. He added that perhaps the surface <br />material could be a grass block rather than solid paving for the parking areas on the side. <br />Mr. Carey handed the Commissioner some photos of homes in Pacific Grove as samples of <br />homes proposed for this site. <br />Ms. Decker noted that what staff and the applicants are looking for at this time are broad <br />concepts rather than specific designs, what the Commission feels about tuck-under three-story <br />homes, attached or detached, two-car garages on the first floor or one-car garage with a driveway <br />on the side. She added that looking at the units depicted in the elevations is deceptive as the <br />units will essentially be hidden and shielded by the existing home on First Street; what will be <br />visible to drive-by vehicles would potentially be 1 %-story units behind the existing home and a <br />bit of the end unit that faces the drive. <br />THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. <br />Ms. Decker stated that staff is fairly comfortable with the density of the project and its <br />consistency and compatibility with the Downtown. She indicated that staff and the applicants <br />would like direction from the Commission, given the constraint of the lot size, regarding building <br />detached or attached units with smaller attached units having more green space versus <br />single-family homes; variety in unit size from approximately 1,200 square feet to 1,500 square <br />feet for families; whether three-story units are acceptable; and variation is sizes and floor plans <br />among the units. <br />Commissioner Pearce stated that detached is a great idea and three-story units are fine. She likes <br />Mr. Huff's proposal for parking and prefers a variation of sizes to a cookie-cutter pattern. <br />Commissioner Blank agreed with Commissioner Pearce that detached and three-story units are <br />fine, as are Mr. Huffs proposal for parking and variation in house size. <br />EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, July 25, 2007 Page 2 of 4 <br />