Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Facility Improvements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Commission approves library 'Children's Garden' variance and neighbor-facing fencing
Summary
The commission approved accessory structure and fence variances for a children's nature garden behind the Atherton Library at 2 Dinklespiel Station Lane (Town Center property), with conditions to mitigate neighbor privacy and noise concerns and to ensure ADA access.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved variances on May 28 to permit a "Children's Garden" behind the Atherton Library at 2 Dinklespiel Station Lane, including accessory-structure relief and an exception to fencing design standards along the property line.
Senior Planner Tom Ford and staff described the project as a nature-based garden immediately adjacent to the library and town center. "Staff's recommendation is that the planning commission approved the request for both accessory structure and fencing variances from the Atherton municipal code, section 17.4004 ... and then 17.4603," Tom Ford told commissioners in the staff presentation.
Planned features include an ADA-accessible zigzag ramp to the library deck; a willow hut; colored and mirrored posts; a boulder climbing mound; stump seating; a natural branch tunnel; and a low planting palette. The applicant emphasized the design is a landscape-based nature experience rather than a traditional playground. Landscape architect Jeffrey Miller told commissioners, "This is not really a playground. There's no play structures. There are logs. There are boulders. There are stumps. There's a little willow hut. ... It's a kind of natural experience going through this space."
Neighbors and commissioners asked about fence height, extent and continuity along the property line; staff and the applicant confirmed the plan includes a replacement or extension of existing fencing with an 8-foot section where present, plus added lattice work to match neighbor preferences in portions of the line. The applicant indicated gates will be installed at both ends of the area and that no evening programming or exterior lighting is planned for the garden to limit noise after hours.
Planning staff and the applicant said they had engaged adjacent neighbors during design and used the "good neighbor" fence design to address visibility and noise. Commissioners conditioned the approval on details for the fence alignment and gates and reiterated that hours of use and programming would be managed by the library to avoid late-night activity.
The commission recorded a unanimous vote to approve the variances and directed staff to include the fence and programming limitations in the permit conditions.
