Commissioner Refuses to Accept Plans for Proposed Project at 1300 Waverly Rd
Illegible drawings created major problems for the Design Review Committee last week as they attempted to understand what was being proposed at 1300 Waverly Road.
Chairman Bharat Patel asked the applicants on Wednesday, Feb. 3, “Is this a proper drawing?”
Committee members agreed they had a very difficult time trying to figure out what existed, what would be removed and what would be added in the new design. The designer said she basically worked from the original plans and just “removed” certain information. No new drawings were made.
“I can’t accept this,” Patel said. “We want a very clear plan showing what is being done.”
The proposed plan is for the construction of a one-story addition, a new three-car garage and a side-yard air conditioning enclosure.
Staff commented that the plan creates a crowded appearance and said the rear facing gables are not consistent with the architecture of the house. The addition brings the number of bedrooms up to five, which requires that a three-car garage be built.
The code requires the garage to have a specific set back, causing everything to be close together. The garage would be less than 2 feet away from the existing pool, something the committee members thought would look awkward from a design viewpoint.
The DRC agreed with staff about the crowdedness of the proposal. The gable was said to be too modern for the current style, also.
This item was continued until March 2 with the requirement that legible plans be submitted.
730 Chester Avenue
A plan for 730 Chester Avenue had previously been approved by a different DRC Committee in 2014. The construction is just about completed, but it was built 6 inches higher than what was approved.
The applicant stated the datum plane was calculated incorrectly. The datum plane is the point from which building height is measured.
Chairman Patel noted that perhaps it is not clear to the applicants how a datum plane is measured since multiple applicants have been coming back with this problem. Staff said they are already looking at creating a worksheet, which will provide very clear instructions on how to measure correctly.
For this particular plan, committee members generally agreed they would not have approved the original plan because of its mass. Alternate Corinna Wong said the house is already “extraordinarily large,” and the 6 inches won’t make a difference.
Committee Member William Dietrick said it is unfortunate the house is already built and that they were only looking at the additional 6 inches. DRC Member Kevin Cheng said if the datum plane had been correct, he would not have approved those plans so he could not approve the extra 6 inches either.
The DRC voted 4-1 to approve the new height, with Cheng dissenting.
2735 Devonport Road
Without much discussion, the DRC unanimously approved a single story addition to 2735 Devonport Road.
The addition will be a new 38 square feet laundry room addition and a new covered porch in the side yard. Staff found the structure to be compatible with itself and the legal neighborhood.
Dietrick commented that it is a nice addition to the house. Committee Member Frank Hsu suggested a handrail to help maintain the existing style.
2385 Coniston Place
The applicant proposed to construct a one-story addition, a deck with an arched trellis on the second floor and a front-yard fountain. The project hearing was continued to March 2 since the DRC had issues with the proposal’s compatibility.
The trellis was a problem for all committee members. Hsu said the trellis would be very visible from the street and the design would not be compatible. Dietrick said an awning might work better instead.
DRC member Strefan Fauble said his real objection was the front yard, which wasn’t really allowed to be voted on. Still, he suggested the applicant take another look at the landscape plan.
Overall, committee members said the addition was fine. The rest of the proposal was problematic.
“We would love for you to come back with something beautiful,” said Patel.
