Planning commission approves small-family home expansion at 52 Maple Avenue with setback variances

The Fairfax Planning Commission on June 26 unanimously approved the application for 52 Maple Avenue to expand a roughly 1,000-square-foot single-family house by approximately 497 square feet, adding a bedroom, bathroom and small dining area. The project also includes a roughly 200-square-foot covered back deck and replacement of some hardscape with decomposed granite to reduce lot coverage by about one percentage point.

Staff told the commission the property, built in 1959 and located on a 4,000-square-foot, 40-foot-wide lot with an approximate upslope of 18 percent, meets most dimensional standards but exceeds the town’s maximum lot coverage; the addition would not change height or FAR but would encroach within minimum and combined side-yard setbacks. Staff recommended approval of a conditional use permit for expansion on a substandard lot, design-review approval because the alteration exceeds 50 percent of existing floor area, and minimum and combined side-yard setback variances; Ross Valley Fire Department and Ross Valley Sanitary District conditions are included.

Neighbors and neighbors across the street spoke in favor of the applicants, who said they need space for a growing family. Commissioners discussed correction of a minor resolution wording error and a table in the staff report that omitted lot-coverage comparisons for neighboring properties; staff said they will provide that data in future reports. A motion to approve resolution 2025-12 carrying the permits and variances, including the edits to the resolution requested by commissioners, passed unanimously. The commission noted the 10‑day appeal period available to applicants and the public.