Zoning hearing officer approves accessory dwelling unit in Emerald Lake Hills; T‑Mobile consent item also approved

Zoning Hearing Officer Joel LeClaire on Oct. 16 approved a conditional use permit for a proposed accessory dwelling unit at 35 Aquavista Court in the Emerald Lake Hills neighborhood and also approved a consent telecom item for a T‑Mobile facility at 25775 Sand Hill Road on Stanford property. Both decisions were announced during a hearing held in Room 101 of 455 County Center and on Zoom.

The accessory dwelling unit (ADU) approval, filed as PLN2025‑00077 for owners Carmen and Lilia Maroon and applicant Daniel Vargas, authorizes construction of a 985‑square‑foot, single‑story, two‑bedroom, 1.5‑bath ADU with a maximum height of 15 feet. Planning staff member Michael Jacinto said the ADU would be set 6 feet from the primary residence and 10 feet from the northern property line, a reduced setback from the 20 feet normally required by the zoning code because of an existing sanitary sewer access easement on the property. "The location of the proposed ADU is in response to the existing constraints on the site," Jacinto said, referring to the sewer easement and the intent to avoid substantial grading.

The site is developed with a roughly 4,500‑square‑foot single‑family home on a parcel the presenter described as "roughly over 2 acres." Jacinto told the hearing officer that the ADU proposal is consistent with lot size, coverage and floor‑area‑ratio standards and that the project qualifies for a Class 3 categorical exemption under Section 15303 of the state guidelines, which the staff summary referenced during the presentation.

During the public hearing, a long‑time neighbor, identified in the record only as a resident, said she has lived in the area since 1967 and asked the hearing officer to approve the permit so her family member could "age safely, independently, and privately, and certainly close to family." Laura Ruben, who said he is a co‑owner and the son of the resident, told the hearing officer the ADU would allow his mother to remain nearby as she ages and thanked staff for their help assembling the permit materials.

LeClaire read the staff findings and conditions and announced approval of PLN2025‑00077, saying the decision and its findings are subject to the conditions listed in attachment A of the staff report. He also advised that the approval may be appealed to the Planning and Building Department in writing by 5 p.m. on Oct. 30 and that an appeal requires a fee. The hearing record includes inconsistent fee amounts noted during the meeting: one set of remarks referenced $1,900 and $3,924, while the final approval statement listed a $1,962 appeal fee.

On the consent agenda, staff (listed in the record as Planner Michael Nasimpta) read Item 1: a telecom facility application, file TLN2006‑00227; owner Leland Stanford Junior University; applicant Isabel Chavez for T‑Mobile; location 25775 Sand Hill Road, "Stanford Land." No members of the public requested the item be pulled for a separate hearing, the applicant confirmed agreement with the conditions, and LeClaire approved the consent item pursuant to the staff findings and conditions. LeClaire repeated that appeals for decisions from this hearing must be filed in writing to the Planning and Building Department by 5 p.m. on Oct. 30.

Votes at a glance: PLN2025‑00077 (35 Aquavista Court) — Approved by Zoning Hearing Officer Joel LeClaire; appealable to Planning and Building Department by 5 p.m. Oct. 30; appeal fee stated in final announcement as $1,962. Consent Item TLN2006‑00227 (25775 Sand Hill Road, Stanford Land) — Approved by Zoning Hearing Officer Joel LeClaire; appealable to Planning and Building Department by 5 p.m. Oct. 30.

The hearing convened with the pledge of allegiance and included two substantive agenda items: the consent telecom item and the ADU conditional use permit. LeClaire closed the hearing after announcing the approvals and the appeal instructions.