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Board approves deck and fence variances at 1 Santa Ana Court; lot-coverage rises to 19.13%
Summary
The board granted two variances for 1 Santa Ana Court — a lot coverage variance increasing coverage to 19.13% (15% allowed) and an adjusted fence-height calculation that results in an 8'8" measured height though the fence will appear as a 6-foot cedar fence — and approved landscape and pool-deck changes, 3–0.
The Tiburon Town Design Review Board approved two variances for property improvements at 1 Santa Ana Court on July 17, allowing a small deck expansion that increases lot coverage and permitting a grading-related fence-height calculation.
Architect Cam Helland told the board the existing single-family house is approximately 3,500 square feet on a lot of about 12,500 square feet (later cited in the hearing as 12,532 square feet). He said the zoning maximum lot coverage is 15 percent but the existing condition already put the property at about 18.8 percent coverage. The proposal adds roughly 34 square feet of deck that increases total lot coverage by approximately 0.27 percentage points to 19.13 percent. "With that additional 34 square feet, our total lot coverage increases by point 27% up to, 19.13%," Helland said.
Helland said the project is primarily a landscape and pool-deck consolidation: it connects an existing elevated "sunset" deck with a new at-grade pool deck, replaces an existing glass guardrail with a continuous steel picket guardrail, and repairs an in-ground pool. He emphasized the property is heavily vegetated and bordered by steep terrain and roadways on three sides; the proposed deck extension faces away from neighbors and road traffic.
The second variance request concerns fence-height calculation. Helland explained that the project proposes shifting a fence line about five feet downhill and grading to create more usable, screened outdoor area near the pool. Although the visible fence would be a six-foot cedar fence, the grading would raise the measurement point by about 2 feet 8 inches, producing an 8-foot-8-inch measured height under the town's method for calculating fence height. "Visually, it won't look any different from what's there now ... it's just a calculation," Helland said.
Board members said they were familiar with the site's constraints and supported the variances, citing lot size (12,532 square feet versus a 20,000-square-foot minimum in the zoning district) and the limited visibility of the deck from public ways. One board member called the project a "smart design" to maximize outdoor use given steep topography. The board adopted the draft resolution granting the lot-coverage variance (19.13% where 15% is allowed) and the fence-height/grading allowance; the motion passed 3–0 on a voice vote with two members absent.
No public commenters addressed the board on this item during the meeting.
