HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecision Letter 10-1-18
City of
Arcadia
Development
Services
Department
Jason Kruckeberg
Assistant City Manager/
Development Services
Director
240 West Huntington Drive
Post Office Box 60021
Arcadia, CA 91066-6021
(626) 574-5415
(626) 447-3309 Fax
www.ArcadiaCA.gov
October 1, 2018
Eric Tsang
440 E. Huntington Dr., Suite 356
Arcadia, CA 91006
Subject: Single-Family Design Review No. SFADR 17-17 and Protected
Tree Encroachment No. 17-30
Project Address: 1104 S. 1st Avenue
Dear Mr. Tsang:
The public comment period for the Notice of Pending Decision ended on
September 5, 2018 for the revised plans dated August 1, 2018. Due to
revised changes, a total of three (3) Notice of Pending Decisions were sent
for this project, each time informing the affected owners of the changes.
Throughout the notification process, Staff received many concerns from the
neighbors regarding mass, scale, and design. Each time the applicant made
changes to mitigate staff and neighbors’ concerns.
The architectural style of the house was revised from a French style to a
Traditional Cape-Cod style in order to blend better with the surrounding
homes. The size of the main house was reduced by 1,279 square feet (from
8,382 square feet to 7,103 square feet) to mitigate the mass and scale of the
residence. The height of the house was reduced from 28’-5” to 26’-9” and
greater setbacks to the first and second floor of the main house were
provided to mitigate the bulk of the building. To be further sensitive to the
existing single-story homes to the East and South of the lot, the 1,200 square
foot detached Accessory Dwelling Unit was eliminated and the four-car
garage was reduced in size from 1,152 square feet to 995 square feet. The
total Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for the entire lot was reduced by over 2,500
square feet to 7,288 square feet from 9,861 square feet to reduce the overall
scale of the project.
The Traditional Cape-Cod architectural style includes colors and materials
that are more compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. The
architectural style creates less of an emphasis on certain design feature that
highlights the mass of the building than the previous French style. The use of
multiple architectural roof forms break up the mass of the building, give the
second floor a lighter appearance, and provides a visual relief to all sides of
the building. The overall reduction to the size and height of the main residents
helped mitigate the mass, bulk, and visual impact of the building.
The first and second floor were pushed further away from the southerly
property line and adequate articulation was provide to break up the mass of
the building along this wall plane to be provide a visual relief for the smaller
homes to the South. The balcony on the second floor located at the rear was
eliminated to preserve the privacy of the adjacent properties. The appearance
of the residence from the front and the south side will be soften by the two
new trees in the front yard as well as the existing Aleppo Pine tree in the front
yard. The project includes 7-foot-tall hedging along the Northerly and
Southerly property lines and two (2) trees at the rear of the building that will
help screen the new house. With the major reduction to the size of the main home and the
size reduction to the four-car garage as well as the elimination of the accessory dwelling
unit the overall scale of the project was significantly reduced. Staff finds the design is
harmonious with the surrounding two-story homes to the West and North and considerate of
the smaller homes to the East and South of the lot.
After much consideration, Planning Services determined that the latest proposal is
consistent with the City’s Single-Family Residential Design Guidelines and compatible with
the surrounding two-story and single-story homes. Therefore, the Development Services
Department has conditionally approved the single-family design review project dated
August 1, 2018 for a new 7,103 square foot, two-story, Traditional Cape-Cod residence with
a detached 995 square foot, four-car garage with a proposed total floor area ratio of 7,288
square. Concurrently, the proposed encroachment into the dripline of two protected Oak
trees located on the adjacent properties to the North has also been conditionally approved
as well. The project shall be subject to the following conditions:
1. The project shall be developed and maintained by the applicant/property owner in a
manner that is consistent with the plans submitted and conditionally approved for
SFADR 17-17 and TRE 17-30, subject to the approval of the Planning & Community
Development Administrator or designee.
2. Prior to submitting plans into Building Services plan-check, the Landscape plans
shall be revised to show that the 13”-diameter Aleppo Pine in the front yard will
remain in place.
3. The project shall be developed and maintained by the applicant/property owner in
compliance with all of the recommended tree protection measures listed in the
Protected Tree Report, dated December 10, 2017, and to the satisfaction of the
Planning & Community Development Administrator or designee.
4. The project shall comply with the City’s Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance
(WELO). The application shall be submitted with the plans for plan check in Building
Services.
5. The applicant/property owner shall comply with all City requirements regarding
building safety, fire prevention, detection, suppression, emergency access, public
right-of-way improvements, parking, water supply and water facilities, sewer
facilities, trash reduction and recycling requirements, and National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) measures to the satisfaction of the Building
Official, Fire Marshal, Public Works Services Director and Development Services
Director. Compliance with these requirements is to be determined by having fully
detailed construction plans submitted for plan check review and approval by the
foregoing City officials and employees.
6. The applicant/property owner shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City of
Arcadia and its officials, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claim,
action, or proceeding against the City of Arcadia, its officials, officers, employees or
agents to attack, set aside, void, or annul any approval or conditional approval of the
City of Arcadia concerning this project and/or land use decision, including but not
limited to any approval or conditional approval of the City Council, Planning
Commission, or City Staff, which action is brought within the time period provided for
in Government Code Section 66499.37 or other provision of law applicable to this
project or decision. The City shall promptly notify the applicant of any claim, action,
or proceeding concerning the project and/or land use decision and the City shall
cooperate fully in the defense of the matter. The City reserves the right, at its own
option, to choose its own attorney to represent the City, its officials, officers,
employees, and agents in the defense of the matter.
There is a ten (10) day appeal period for this application. To file an appeal, a completed
Appeal Application form must be submitted to the Community Development Division along
with a $600.00 appeal fee by 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 11, 2018. You will be
notified if an appeal is filed.
Approval of SFADR 17-17 and TRE 17-30 shall not be of effect unless the property owner
and applicant have executed and filed the enclosed Acceptance Form to indicate
awareness and acceptance of these conditions of approval. The Acceptance Form is due
now and if it is not received by October 31, 2018, this approval will become null and void.
This design approval shall expire in one year (October 12, 2019) from the effective date
unless plans are submitted to Building Services for plan-check, a building permit is issued
and the construction is diligently pursued, a certificate of occupancy has been issued, or the
approval is renewed. The final plans must be consistent with the approved design concept
plans and any conditions of approval. Any inconsistency from the approved design concept
plans may preclude the issuance of a building permit.
An extension may be granted by the Planning & Community Development Administrator or
designee, for a maximum period of one (1) year from the initial expiration date. An
extension can only be granted if the required findings can be made. Please note that
acceptance of an extension request does not indicate approval of an extension.
A building permit must be obtained prior to any construction activity. Please contact
Building Services at (626) 574-5416 to determine the type of documentation, plans, and
fees for the appropriate permit. This approval letter must be presented to Building Services
to initiate the permitting process.
You may visit the City’s website at www.ArcadiaCA.gov/noticesanddecisions to view this
letter. If you have any questions regarding the above approval, please contact me at (626)
574-5423 or by email at VQuiroz@ArcadiaCA.gov or Planning@ArcadiaCa.gov. Thank you.
Sincerely,
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Community Development Division/Planning Services
Vanessa Quiroz
Assistant Planner
c: Raymond Tsai, Property Owner
Neighboring Residents:
Alfred & Linda Consalvi
Amy & James A. Macklin
John & H.S. McMahon
Miriam & Dale Carter
C.C. & Nancy Wang
Pui Wing Ho & Katherine Poon
Virginia & Francis Browning
Edwin & Pauline Hui
Johnny Lu & Stella Chen
Esther & Alfred Shen
Gail Armstrong & Debra Tweedy
Daniel Cheung & May Chui
Sangwoo Lee & Hyeonso Lam
Kirk & Ana Olsen
Bob Adams
Barbara Schmidt
Angie Ng
David Chang
Eileen Luo
Sonia Williams
Jiansheng Li
Yilin Ma
Eric Young
Gia Tunh Phan
Jennifer Lu
James Qui
Kevin Huang
Ghassan Amhaz
Magdy A. Soliman
Edward Chung
Andrew Lam
John Dawney
Jinong Feng
Li Hwei Wang
CITY OF ARCADIA
ACCEPTANCE FORM
Development Services Department
Community Development Division-Planning Services
240 West Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91007
Issued 10/1/18
APPLICATION NO.: Single-Family Design Review No. SFADR No. 17-17 and Protected
Tree Encroachment No. 17-30
SUBJECT PROPERTY: 1104 S. 1st Avenue
I am/We are the applicant(s), and the owner(s), or the duly authorized
representative(s) of the owner(s), respectively, of the project and real property that is
the subject of the above application(s).
I am/We are aware of, understand, and accept, all the provisions and conditions
imposed upon the project and real property that is the subject of the above
application(s), and also understand that noncompliance with said provisions and
conditions shall constitute grounds for the immediate suspension or revocation of any
approvals granted through said application(s).
I/We certify and declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and
correct.
APPLICANT’S SIGNATURE DATE
PRINT NAME
PROPERTY OWNER’S SIGNATURE DATE
PRINT NAME
Approval of your application shall not be of effect unless the property owner and
applicant have executed and filed this Acceptance Form to indicate awareness
and acceptance of these conditions of approval. The Acceptance form is due
now and if it is not received by (October 31, 2018), this approval will become null
and void and all fees will be forfeited.