Carmel planning panel approves steel windows for San Antonio Avenue house after debate

The Carmel-by-the-Sea Planning Commission on Aug. 13 approved a design study referral to replace deteriorated wood windows and most doors with metal frames at a single‑family home on San Antonio Avenue, directing that steel windows be used on all street‑visible elevations.

The decision came after the applicant and neighbors described extensive wind and water damage to existing wood frames and after commissioners debated whether aluminum or steel best matched the house’s architectural character and durability needs.

Architect Gretchen Fusher told the commission the home “was originally built as … Bay Region modern” and later altered into a “pseudo‑Mediterranean” appearance. The applicant’s team argued the current wood windows “leak like a sieve” and are failing after nearby trees were removed, exposing the façade to wind and sun.

Owner and architect Randall Dowler said the work is “a maintenance issue, not an aesthetic issue,” and said steel windows are a practical choice because nearby homes with steel frames have fared better in the coastal exposure. The applicant presented a steel casement sample to the commission during the hearing.

Staff briefed commissioners that the application originally proposed aluminum frames; staff’s design guideline citation (Guideline 9.11) encourages window styles and materials consistent with a building’s architecture and notes that “materials other than authentic unclad wood are appropriate only when it can be demonstrated that the proposed material is more appropriate to the architecture.”

Commission discussion focused on two points: whether metal windows are appropriate for this altered historic/modern hybrid, and whether the material choice should be consistent across all elevations. Commissioner Allen and others emphasized durability given coastal exposure, while other commissioners pressed for consistency.

After debate, the commission voted to approve DS25169 as presented but with the explicit condition that steel windows be used on all elevations visible from the public right-of-way and on other street‑facing openings. The motion passed in a roll‑call vote: Commissioner Albert — yes; Commissioner Allen — yes; Commissioner Cara Pickoff — yes; Commissioner Locke — yes; Chair LePage — yes.

The commission’s action replaces the staff‑proposed aluminum‑only solution with a steel‑first approach for the public façades; the record shows commissioners cited both the design guideline and the building’s altered historic character in making required findings.

The approved project does not change window openings or increase building height or floor area; paint color and other minor exterior finishes will be processed at the staff level, per the commission’s procedures.

Speakers quoted in this story and who addressed the commission included architect Gretchen Fusher, homeowner/architect Randall Dowler, planning staff, and multiple commissioners. The applicant will carry the commission’s direction into the building‑permit and plan‑check phase.