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.

Neighbors and several commissioners opposed the proposal as too large relative to the principal residence and the surrounding neighborhood. “It looks like two houses on one lot,” said Pishawn Hellman, a neighbor. Other neighbors raised concerns about privacy from new second‑floor windows, the narrow lot configuration and the long‑term risk that a second dwelling could be used as a separate rental. Commissioner Brian Lewis moved to approve the petition as submitted; Brian Lewis made the motion and Sam Wallach seconded it. The roll call recorded five votes against and one in favor: Tim Spiegelglass (no), Laura Ragsdale (no), Petrie Powell (yes), Sam Wallach (no), Brian Lewis (no) and Chairman Rob Bridal (no). The motion failed.

Why it mattered: commissioners and residents framed the case as more than a single design review. Several participants tied the decision to the city’s 2024 comprehensive plan’s encouragement of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as a tool for housing diversity, while others warned that approving a large detached living unit on a narrow lot would set a local precedent the existing zoning and design guidelines do not clearly regulate. Carlos Treas, director of Olivette’s Planning & Community Development Department, told the commission the code allows accessory structures by right but that structures exceeding staff approval thresholds come to the commission for subjective design review. “There is a right to build an accessory structure,” Treas said, “but approval of one that exceeds staff limits is by the commission following site‑plan review and the design guidelines.”

What commissioners said: several commissioners voiced sympathy for the petitioner’s stated goals — preserving the existing house and enabling multigenerational living — but said the massing and total area of the accessory building were the decisive issues. “I like the principle of ADUs, but the total mass here is too large for this lot and the immediate context,” Commissioner Brian Lewis said. Commissioner Petrie Powell pointed to local precedents in other neighborhoods but said precedent alone did not settle the question for this parcel. Chairman Rob Bridal and other commissioners said the proposal was allowed to be built under current numeric code limits but that design compatibility was the commission’s discretionary test.

What’s next: The petitioner may revise the plans and return. The transcript records multiple neighborhood requests for smaller windows facing south, continued tree‑protection and stormwater clarifications, and neighbors asked the commission to consider whether the city’s code needs clearer ADU standards. Staff noted the commission could seek code amendments to define “subordinate” more precisely or to set numeric limits for detached living units.

Votes at a glance Motion: Approve petition for site plan, community design and concept stormwater management plan review for a detached enclosed accessory structure, in‑ground pool and pool deck, and covered walkway and solar panels at 820 North Price Road as presented in the department memorandum dated 04/17/2025, subject to staff conditions. Mover: Brian Lewis. Second: Sam Wallach. Vote: Yes — Petrie Powell (1). No — Tim Spiegelglass, Laura Ragsdale, Sam Wallach, Brian Lewis, Chairman Rob Bridal (5). Outcome: Motion failed.