Committee approves addition and garage at 7708 Frank Lloyd Wright Way with amended conditions; zoning/ADU issue left to permitting

The Design Review Committee on March 27 granted final approval for an addition to the principal house and a detached garage at 7708 Frank Lloyd Wright Way, approving most staff recommendations while amending several conditions and flagging a separate zoning issue about accessory dwelling units for staff and the applicant to resolve.

Staff report: Emily (staff member, Community and Economic Development) presented the property as a corner lot with a circa-1949 house identified in the 2023 district resurvey as contributing to the South Lake Morton Historic District. The proposal calls for an approximately 822-square-foot second-story addition on the west elevation, a 290-square-foot porch, and a 24.7-by-27.3-foot (about 674-square-foot) detached two-story garage at the rear. Materials proposed included fiber-cement lap siding (4-inch exposure), recessed windows with colonial muntins between panes to match existing windows, fiberglass doors and standing seam metal roofing on the new elements. Staff recommended several conditions: preserve existing front elevation brick and exposed mortar; use asphalt/fiberglass shingles rather than metal roofing; avoid adding decorative trim to the front porch columns; recess windows for a shadow line; and change the detached garage to a one-story configuration because staff determined a second-floor ADU would be impermissible under the property's single-family RA zoning given an existing on-site duplex and nonconforming conditions.

Public comment and applicant response: Contractor Dan Esterline, representing owners Matthew and Elizabeth Rausch, explained the project purpose: expanding the home to better support adult family members with special needs who live on-site, and he referenced federal reasonable-modification guidance (Department of Justice) as context for accommodation requests. The applicant said they were willing to revise items and requested flexibility on roofing material and the garage second floor. The applicant also offered to remove a kitchen on the garage second floor if needed to avoid creating an ADU.

Committee discussion and decision: Committee members discussed architectural symmetry, materials, and the separate zoning constraint on a two-story garage that effectively creates an accessory dwelling unit. The committee agreed it could address only design guidelines and not the zoning legality of an ADU; staff and the applicant were advised to pursue the zoning determination through permitting and planning channels. The committee approved the staff recommendations but amended them by striking condition 5 (change garage to one story), striking condition 2 (ban on metal roofing) and modifying condition 1 to remove the requirement to maintain the 'exposed weeping mortar' (allowing the applicant to reclad the front in brick without the weeping-mortar finish). The committee also clarified window requirements: windows must be recessed to provide a shadow line and match the existing configuration on the respective side of the building.

Motion and vote: A motion to approve the staff recommendation with those amendments passed unanimously on roll call. Members recorded their votes in favor; the committee's final action leaves the zoning question about a two-story accessory structure and potential ADU to the planning/permitting process.

Next steps and permitting: Because staff identified a potential zoning conflict (the site contains a duplex and combined platted lots), the applicant was advised that the two-story garage with habitable space may trigger zoning review. The committee's action permits the design as amended from a design-guidelines standpoint; whether a two-story garage with habitable space can be permitted will be decided by the city's permitting and zoning staff or through any variance/rezoning request by the applicant.

Ending: The committee approved design elements including the addition's form and materials, subject to the amended conditions. The applicant intends to pursue permitting and will revise drawings per the committee's direction.