Commission denies discretionary review request, approves 585 Lakeview single‑family project as designed

The Planning Commission voted unanimously not to take discretionary review and to approve the proposed three‑story single‑family residence at 585 Lakeview Avenue, concluding the project’s massing, setbacks and design were consistent with the Residential Design Guidelines and the lot’s topography.

Staff architect David Winslow described the site as a steep, key lot with differing elevations between the Plymouth Avenue rear yards and the neighboring parcels. Winslow said the applicant reduced height and provided side setbacks intended to minimize impacts on downhill neighbors. He told commissioners the project does not maximize the allowable envelope and that the proposed articulation and setbacks are intended to preserve light and air for adjacent properties while respecting the street’s mixed context.

Neighbors (the Townsend family) had filed the discretionary‑review request, objecting to the Third Floor massing and the location of a tradesman’s alley and asking for modest changes: move the rear access walkway, add articulation to reduce the appearance of a blank wall, increase a second‑floor front setback, and reduce grading. Attorney Ashley Klein, representing the neighbors, said notice and outreach had been inadequate and asked for changes to protect the neighbor’s light and views.

Project architect William Pearson said the design balances the elevation differences, provides a 30‑inch maintenance access on the west property line and is set so that the southern and southwestern light access for neighbors is not reduced. Commissioners discussed the site‑specific constraints, existing nonconforming windows on the adjacent property, and technical limits to moving the building without creating new impacts.

After deliberation commissioners found the project’s siting and design appropriate and approved it as proposed; the vote was 7–0.