Millbrae planning commission approves additions, future ADU at 266 La Cruz Avenue, 5-0

The Millbrae Planning Commission on a 5-0 vote approved a design review permit for 266 La Cruz Avenue to allow a 699-square-foot first-floor addition (intended as part of a future 800-square-foot accessory dwelling unit), a 537-square-foot second-floor addition and a 400-square-foot second‑floor deck to an existing two‑story single‑family home.

The commission’s approval, made during a public hearing, was subject to the conditions of approval recommended by staff, including requirements for drainage design, a construction management plan, and privacy screening. Amit Cohen, a contract planner with Urban Planning Partners on assignment to the City of Millbrae, recommended adoption of the attached resolution and said the proposed conditions would allow the commission to make the required findings for design review.

Staff presented the project as a remodel and additions to an existing 2,797-square-foot residence on a 6,985-square-foot interior lot in the R‑1 single‑family residential zone in the Lower Highlands neighborhood. Cohen said the 699-square-foot ground‑floor addition plus 101 square feet of converted existing floor area would be submitted later as a separate accessory dwelling unit (ADU) permit; staff recommended a condition requiring the applicant to apply for the ADU permit at the time of building permit issuance. Cohen told the commission that, because the ADU would be within a half‑mile of a public transit stop, parking requirements for the ADU would not apply.

Neighbor Carol Heughan of 272 La Cruz Avenue spoke during public comment, describing chronic drainage and flooding near the properties and asking for assurances about construction duration and traffic. Heughan said she appreciated outreach from the project team and thanked staff and the owners for their responsiveness.

Alan Sofield, the project manager, told commissioners the design team will prepare a drainage plan and hire an engineer to address the neighbor’s concerns. Cohen and project materials noted that the building division and public works would review drainage measures as part of the building permit review; staff’s condition of approval 23 requires submission of a drainage design prior to building permit issuance, subject to building division approval.

Staff and the architect identified several existing nonconforming features—the property’s single 20-foot by 10-foot garage parking space where Millbrae Municipal Code R‑1 standards call for two side‑by‑side spaces, and existing front- and side‑setback irregularities—that would not be intensified by the project and therefore may remain. Commissioners discussed the existing parking condition and confirmed it would remain as an existing nonconformity under current rules.

The commission considered neighbor consultation results: staff distributed eight forms, received two returns, and one neighbor at 272 La Cruz supported the project while noting concerns (summarized in the packet). The planning staff proposed two privacy protections: required screening trees along the sides of the deck and frosting the bottom half of a rear window that lines up with a neighbor’s second‑story window. The resolution includes a requirement that the new street tree be a London plane.

During discussion commissioners raised constructability, driveway widening limits (front yard impervious surface is limited to 40 percent), and the need to ensure grading and elevations prevent seepage into adjacent properties. Commissioner comments praised the design for minimizing changes to the street-facing façade and noted the ADU could add housing supply.

A motion to approve the design review permit, subject to the conditions in the resolution, passed unanimously 5-0. The commission’s action is final pending a 10-day appeal period and payment of the required appeal fee; staff noted anyone seeking to appeal should contact the city clerk.