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The applicant is proposing an addition to the first floor of an existing structure by enclosing at an enclave at the front center of the home and a wholly new second story addition. The total floor area ratio (FAR) for the new home would be 60% where 45% is allowed without Planning Commission review.

A Class 1 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from California Environmental Quality Act provisions. Class 1 Categorical Exemptions include minor additions to existing facilities.

Use: The site is currently used as a one story single-family residence and is proposed to expand to a two-story single-family residence. The first-story addition is 264 square feet and the second-story addition is 1110 square feet for a total of 3,316 square feet.

The site is dimensionally a typical lot for the neighborhood with a total area of 5,516 square feet. The lot is slightly substandard for the R-0 Zoning District's minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet lot. The current home is centered on the property with approximate 5.5-foot setbacks. The home placement is typical for the neighborhood. The proposed addition will be placed directly on top of the existing structure and maintain the current setbacks. The home style is ranch in a U shape with a recessed entry. The site current has legal non-conforming total side yard setback of 11 feet where 12 is required.

The existing home is a one-story ranch style home in a U configuration with a moderately low roof pitch. There is a six-foot wood fence enclosing the recessed entryway that creates a uniform façade depth with the front wall and garage. The current front facade is devoid of character and lacks a street presence due to its subdued appearance. The neighborhood is predominately single-story ranch homes with a few second story additions that preceded current design guidelines and regulations. The second story additions on this block do not incorporate any outstanding architectural features to assist in determining compatibility for new development.

1^st Story

The newly proposed two-story home brings the entry to the home out towards the front façade and provides a modest covered entry feature. The front façade has new bay windows proposed as well. The dutch gable above the garage remains as a neighborhood character element, but is modified to a steeper pitch for consistency with the proposed second-story features. The left side of the home and entryway utilize a shed roof treatment to replace the current low pitch hipped roof. The additional features replace the blank front façade and are more inviting in appearance as compared to the fence, chimney and garage door.

The second-story of the home is setback equally on both sides of the first floor with a new hipped roof of moderate pitch. When addressing the second-story appearance a true focal point is not identifiable. There are a variety of features that compete for attention; they include the roof face itself, various window treatments for the three sets of windows, different window planes and levels of relief. (see Attachment 4) Many of the second story elements are driven by the floor plan's feature of a lofted portion of the second story and the effort to try and minimize the apparent bulk of the large home.

Dormer windows provide light to an interior loft area are set on a lower plane that the windows of the western half of the home. The dormer windows are set forward the most of any second-story element. The middle window is an architectural feature intended to focus attention to the center of the home but is slightly offset from the center to align with the stairwell's location. The offset is accentuated by the front door's offset to the left on the first floor. A dutch gable is atop the middle window in an attempt to tie in with the first floor gable above the garage. The window covers a non-habitable floor space intended for use as an attic and acts as a transition in relief from the dormers to the third window located on the right side of the facade. The third window is a standard functional window for the front bedroom.

In combination with the prior comments another element of concern to staff is the degree that the roof materials dominate the appearance of the home. Attachment "3" may not give a true impression of the visual image and staff refers to Attachment "4" for perspective of depth. When reviewing Attachment "4," the amount of area that is clearly exposed to the street appears reduced due to the protrusion of the dormer windows. The same dormer windows that are located on the lower plane then exposes additional roof face area of the hipped roof near the peak. Staff has reservations on how this roof element is combined with the first story shed roof form and the standard hipped roof eave line on the right sides higher plane. There seems to be a lack of balance in design elements and wall exposures.

The various treatments do provide a diversity of design elements, but complicate the appearance of the home and do not provide meaningful detailing that is pleasing to the eye. The articulation's contribution to overall bulk reduction is minimal as well. The home appears to be quite large as compared to other two-story homes in the area even with the proposed architectural elements and the stepped setback from the front.

Both side facades are absent of windows due to privacy concerns. The side facades do not receive any architectural detailing or accents along these walls. The rear façade does include two-story windows and are setback about 24 feet from rear property line. There is some articulation along the rear facade due to the inclusion of bay windows, separation of the two primary room masses, and a slight setback of the second story from the first story roofline and eaves.

TABLE/Map: Representative Home Sizes Immediate Neighborhood

The applicant considers the primrose block to be an area ripe for transition to 2nd-story additions and larger homes and happens to be one of the first on Primrose Avenue in recent years to propose a large second-story addition. The applicant has also indicated neighborhood support for his design. Further to the north of the subject site (roughly 3 blocks) the density of two-story homes increases. (Attachment 6)

The existing ranch style and size of the home are typical for the block as well as the expanded neighborhood that goes beyond Primrose Avenue. There are a few older 2-story additions that preceded current development guidelines and standards across the street from the subject site. These homes do not have sufficient architectural merit to be used as a positive guide for comparison of new development. In the expanded neighborhood, particularly as you go north, there are numerous two-story additions that compliment the ranch style development pattern in this area. Many of these additions also preceded current standards. There is not a predominant two-story design to determine complete compatibility with either the immediate or expanded neighborhood.

Although there is a multitude of two-story additions further north of the subject site, they have tenuous connection to the subject site due to the slightly larger lot size on average with a number of significantly larger lots and altered orientation due to the cul-de-sac development pattern. These lot size and orientation differences provide greater flexibility in design and separation from other homes.

The proposed home will not necessarily reflect the existing designs of the neighborhood's homes. The proposed home would be largest home in the immediate area with a gross floor area FAR of 63%. The applicant has tried to accommodate staff concerns about apparent bulk of the home and front façade articulation and detailing. Staff has provide a context of review in the form of existing neighborhood second-story homes, but reviewing the home's individual elements and merits would be a worthwhile exercise if the area is likely to transition to larger homes and if this design was representative of what would be expected. The difficulty with such a context of transition is that it not a certainty to occur. In addition the neighborhood is typical in lot size to that of the applicants and assuming that a neighborhood of high FAR homes would be appropriate development is not supported by staff.

The individual architectural details (dormers, gables) and relief elements help to provide visual interest, but it does not overcome the overall bulk issues or the practical design circumstances of the homes interior space, primarily the lofting of a portion of the second story. The integration of the external appearance of the home, which is directly related to the proposed living room and empty second-story space, is difficult with the other elements of the home. The various design elements of the window planes, first-story shed and gabled roofs and second-story hipped roof are complex and do not blend well with each other or the neighborhood.

The dormer windows are located on a different plane and are of a different style to other windows, which increases the roof face exposure, thereby creating an unbalanced element of design for the front façade. This affect, and the overall bulk of the home, are the two major influences on the neighborhood that are not part of the existing neighborhood. Privacy concerns have been eliminated due to lack of windows on the sides, but at the same time, detailing is not present on the side facades. Detailing elements are a secondary concern because it is not clear if the prominence of the second story façade will be apparent to the general neighborhood, beyond the exposure to the two abutting homes. Staff recommends the inclusion of a condition to address this issue by requiring clerestory windows on both side elevations. (COA #4) Such windows will provide an architectural detail and maintain privacy.

No variance or deviations are requested as part of this application. The legal nonconforming first-story total side yard setback is not being expanded with the proposed design.

Staff has worked with the applicant through an on going dialogue to address issues of bulk, neighborhood compatibility, and architectural details. The applicant is comfortable with the interior design and that the exterior appearance is appropriate for the home and neighborhood. The applicant has revised certain elements in an effort to address staff's concerns. However, staff is not able to support approving the design review with the proposed level of bulk and ability to blend into the neighborhood character.

Staff has not been able to make the findings that the design and bulk of the home are compatible with the neighborhood. The home is large for the neighborhood and the various architectural features are not integrated and create a complex front façade. While there are site constraints for additions to existing homes, the Design Guidelines must be applied equally to both new development projects and additions. The attention to the details of the outward appearance must be balanced against the interior space design of the remodel. If the Planning Commission is able to make the required findings of neighborhood compatibility, staff recommends including the Conditions of Approval found in Attachment 2.

• Findings are located in Attachment 1.
• Conditions of Approval are located in Attachment 2.

Fiscal Impact

No fiscal impacts other than normal fees and taxes are expected.

The applicant has held a block bbq to discuss the design and has indicated neighbor support for the project. (Attachment 5)

1. Deny the Design Review
2. Approve the Design Review with attached conditions.
3. Approve the Design Review with modified conditions.

Recommend Alternative 1

Prepared by:

Kelly Diekmann
Associate Planner

Reviewed by:

Fred Bell
Principal Planner

Reviewed by:

The project’s design and architecture do not meet the requirements of the Single Family Design Techniques in respect to scale and bulk as well as integration of design features that blend into the neighborhood's character. The proposed architectural detailing of different window planes and roof types appears unbalanced and does not create a cohesive architectural focus that is in harmony with its surroundings.

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In addition to complying with all applicable City, County, State and Federal Statutes, Codes, Ordinances and Resolutions, the Permittee expressly accepts and agrees to comply with the following Conditions of Approval:

1. The one-year expiration date of the Design Review shall be measured from the date of the approval by the final review authority at a public hearing if the approval is not exercised.
2. The Conditions of Approval shall be reproduced on one page of the plans submitted for a building permit for this project.
3. Final design element details are to be approved by staff and shall include elimination of the dormer windows by reducing their height to be more of a true clerestory window and to include a shed roof design to match directly below.
4. Include detail element on both side facades, may include narrow rectangular clerestory windows they only have architectural value.
5. This project must be in substantial conformance with the approved plans. Any major site and architectural plan modifications shall be treated as an amendment of the original approval and shall be subject to approval at a public hearing except that minor changes of the approved plans may be approved at the staff level by the Director of Community Development.

6. Obtain building permits.