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Single‑family board backs changes to Surfview ADU design, sends project to staff hearing officer
Summary
The Single Family Design Board supported a revised design for a garage‑top accessory dwelling unit at 726 Surfview Road, applauding reductions to second‑floor bulk and added windows, and continued the matter to the staff hearing officer with conditions for materials and detailing.
The Single Family Design Board on June 30 reviewed a revised plan to add an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) above an expanded garage at 726 Surfview Road and voted to continue the application to the staff hearing officer with design comments.
Board members said the applicants reduced the visual bulk of a north‑facing second story and improved the ADU’s integration with the existing house. The board moved that the project be continued to the staff hearing officer with direction to return with final materials and detailing for wrought iron and landscaping; the motion passed unanimously.
The 15,567‑square‑foot lot currently includes a 1,412‑square‑foot one‑story residence and a 424‑square‑foot garage. The proposal demolishes the existing garage and builds a 749‑square‑foot garage with a 749‑square‑foot ADU above, for a proposed total of 2,910 square feet (about 67 percent of the guideline floor‑area ratio). The applicants requested three zoning modifications to allow encroachments into the front yard setbacks on Island View Drive and Surfview Drive and to permit a garage larger than the 500‑square‑foot limit.
Agent Michael Stroh and designer Marco Alejandro Cervantes of DMHA said they had lowered the plate height on the north end by about 18 inches (and, in effect, about 24 inches where combined with a reduced flare) and removed a pronounced gable flare to reduce the second‑story visual mass. “So we’ve dropped that northern side a total of about 24 inches,” Stroh told the board. He said the team also enlarged and infilled the garage area to provide a grounded base for the ADU and added windows to break up large blank walls.
Kelly Broadison of the Community Development Department told the board the item was scheduled to go to the staff hearing officer on July 9 for continued review of the requested zoning modifications.
Board members praised the lower ridgeline, the elimination of the gable flare and the added openings on the north and east elevations. Member Richards said the revisions made the ADU feel “a lot more grounded than the previous iteration.” Member Moslahi recommended landscaping at the new first‑floor bump‑out to soften the massing.
The board asked for a full south elevation showing the ADU in context with the rest of the house and requested material samples and details for the proposed belly band and any wrought‑iron elements. The board did not make a final, appealable decision at the hearing.
The matter will move to the staff hearing officer with direction to return to the full board for preliminary and final review if the applicants submit a package ready for final action.
