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Board postpones decision on 1010 Camino San Acasio, asks for redesign to clarify how addition differentiates from historic house
Summary
The board postponed action on a proposed addition and carport enclosure at 1010 Camino San Acasio to March 25, asking the applicant to revise design details that would better differentiate new work from the historic primary facades while reducing massing impacts.
The Historic Districts Review Board on Feb. 11 postponed review of a proposal at 1010 Camino San Acasio so the applicant can redesign elements that board members said could overwhelm the property’s designated primary facades.
Staff described the house as contributing to the Downtown and East Side Historic District with primary North and West elevations. The proposal would enclose a carport, add a second‑story casita above it and add a small closet addition on the east side; staff recommended conditional approval only if the skylight were non‑publicly visible and all windows met the board’s 30‑inch rule for primary facades, but that an exception would be required for an addition on a primary elevation.
Several board members expressed concern about the volume and visual weight of the west‑side addition and how new corbel work and other historic elements might create a false sense of historic continuity if replicated without clear differentiation. Member Bienvenu said it was “a dangerous aspect of the proposal” to replicate the distinctive corbels in a way that makes the addition appear original. Public commenters also urged greater separation between the new casita and the original house and asked the board to require reduced glazing proportions and preserved massing under windows.
After discussion the board voted to postpone to the board’s March 25 meeting for a redesign that reduces massing and ensures the addition remains visually secondary and distinguishable from the original house. The motion to continue to March 25 passed by roll call (Aguilar Medrano: yes; Banu: yes; Degnan: yes; Beechek: yes). The applicant confirmed acceptance of the postponement.
