Olivette commission rejects two‑story detached garage with upstairs unit and pool at 820 North Price Road

The Olivette City Planning & Community Design Commission voted 5–1 on April 17 to deny a site plan for a detached two‑level accessory structure with an upstairs living unit, an in‑ground pool, pool deck, covered walkway and rooftop solar at 820 North Price Road.

Supporters and opponents spent more than an hour debating whether the proposed garage with a second‑floor living unit would be “subordinate” to the principal house, a central test under the city’s site‑plan and community‑design standards. Petitioner Ilya Adelman, the property owner, called the detached building “subordinate in size and function” to the main home and described steps he said he had taken to reduce impact, including rotating the structure 90 degrees, lowering its height and matching roof forms and exterior materials to the existing house. “The garage is lower than the house, both in absolute height and in grade,” Adelman said. He provided measurements and drawings, saying the accessory structure’s total square footage is 1,889 and the house’s total square footage is 2,873, and asked the commission to approve the plan.

Nei…