Planning commission approves renovation on steep West Blythedale lot with two redwoods to be removed

The Mill Valley Planning Commission on Jan. 14 unanimously approved design review, a set of variances and a tree-removal permit that will allow demolition of an existing home and construction of a new three-story single-family residence at 1503 West Blythedale Avenue.

The project replaces a 1,348-square-foot two-story house with a proposed 1,254-square-foot, three-story structure that includes one bedroom, 1.5 baths and a loft. The approved package includes: a variance reducing required on-site parking from two spaces to one; reductions of exterior setbacks to allow an elevated deck and a mechanical hill lift to be sited at the property line; retaining walls in the right of way with heights up to about 7 feet; and a tree removal permit to remove two heritage-size coast redwoods located within the public right of way adjacent to the parcel.

Staff project manager Michelle Johnson told commissioners the steep lot (about 12,295 square feet in the RS-10 zoning district) has a roughly 100-foot elevation drop and constrained frontage that, combined with a creek across the road, limit usable building area and create documented hardships that support variance findings in the staff report. Johnson said the applicant updated plans after an October study session and revised the construction management and erosion-control measures to address comments from permitting agencies including the Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Fire and public-works concerns drove…