Lafayette commission approves variance for front-deck trellis at 1060 Leland Drive, 2-1

The Lafayette Design Review Commission on June 23 approved a hillside development permit and variance for renovations to a carport, deck and trellis at 1060 Leland Drive, voting 2-1 to adopt staff recommendations and conditions.

City planners said the application would replace an existing, long-standing carport and second-story deck with a renovated carport wall and a shaded flat roof (described in project documents as a trellis). Nicole Zettle, the city product planner, told commissioners the 0.24-acre parcel sits on the eastern side of Lafayette across from the Leland Reservoir and occupies a historic 1934 subdivision pattern of narrow rectangular lots. Zettle said the property’s existing deck and carport already sit about 5 feet from the property line while the R-10 zoning district requires a 20-foot front-yard setback; the proposal would maintain the existing 5-foot distance rather than increasing the encroachment.

The project team argued the trellis and raised slatted guardrail would make the front deck usable…