Planning commission approves replacement garage, permeable driveway at historic Twycross House

The Sierra Madre City Planning Commission on Aug. 7 approved a Certificate of Appropriateness (CA25‑02) allowing demolition of a nonoriginal detached two‑car garage at the Twycross House, 123 South Baldwin Avenue, and construction of a new garage reoriented behind the house, with conditions including salvage of feasible historic materials, a differentiated stone base course and limits on fence height.

Senior Planner Wolf told the commission that staff evaluated the proposal under the Secretary of the Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and recommended approval with conditions. “In the evaluation for appropriateness, we’ll look at the Secretary of the Interior Standards,” Wolf said during his presentation.

The decision matters because the property is a designated historic landmark and the project will alter a visible accessory structure and the driveway configuration. Commission approval lets the applicant proceed with demolition and reconstruction subject to the conditions the commission adopted.

Staff described the existing garage as a later addition that now straddles two parcels;…