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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.