Staff hearing officer approves front-setback and open-yard modifications for addition and new garage at 3402 Madrona Drive

The Staff Hearing Officer approved a front-setback modification and an open-yard modification for 3402 Madrona Drive, a corner lot in the San Roque neighborhood, to allow a single-story addition, conversion of the existing attached garage to a 417-square-foot master bedroom, and construction of a new 400-square-foot detached two-car garage.

Assistant planner Jillian Fenessy (presenting the staff report) said the 9,036-square-foot RS-7.5 corner lot is subject to San Roque Park subdivision standards that require a 40-foot front setback along Amapola Drive and a 30-foot front setback along Madrona Drive. The residence is already nonconforming to both front setbacks. The applicant requested a front-setback modification to fill the space between the existing garage and residence and to raise the roof to match the primary residence; staff said the addition does not further encroach into the front setback beyond the existing alignment. The open-yard modification was requested because the proposed garage location reduces qualifying open yard from the required 1,250 square feet; staff calculated 926 square feet of qualifying open yard plus 307 square feet of functional open yard that cannot be counted because it lies within 10 feet of the front setback.

Jarrett Warren of Vanguard Planning, representing the applicant, said the lot constraints in the neighborhood (large setbacks applied to smaller lots) make the requested modifications consistent with surrounding development and that alternative designs were considered but not preferred. Neighbor Ashley Flood spoke in support of the project but asked that the large tree between adjacent fences be preserved; Flood said the tree provides privacy to several neighbors. Warren and the applicant said the tree is not proposed for removal, the trunk may lie outside the property line, and they plan to use permeable driveway pavement and consult an arborist during construction to protect the tree’s root zone.

Staff Hearing Officer Ellen Kokendo said she supported the findings in the staff report, approved both the front-setback and open-yard modifications as necessary to secure an appropriate improvement on the lot, confirmed the project’s exemption from further CEQA review under Guideline section 15301, and noted the decision is appealable within 10 calendar days.