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11 Morrison Road renovation downsizes house to meet fire‑department constraints; ADR urges glazing and material choices to reduce visual impact
Summary
The applicant for 11 Morrison Road presented a renovation that reduces floor area and retains portions of existing exterior walls at the Ross Fire Department’s direction; ADR members supported forwarding the project to Town Council while urging mitigation for large glazing areas and a subdued exterior palette.
The applicant for 11 Morrison Road presented a renovation and partial rebuild that reduces the existing house’s floor area, retains a similar footprint where required by the Ross Fire Department, and adds two roof decks and updated exterior cladding.
The design team said the lot has difficult access and that prior approved plans had been unable to pass the fire‑department review. The team told ADR members the fire department requires preservation of roughly half of the exterior bearing walls and would not permit a layout that creates an on‑site apparatus turnaround, which constrained the ability to alter the house footprint. The team said the renovation reduces the house to a smaller two‑bedroom layout, raises interior ceiling heights for volume and removes an existing carport to provide additional off‑street parking.
The project proposes wood cladding or Hardy artisan panels in earth tones, metal shade awnings, fully glazed doors and tall steel‑frame windows. The design team said they will pursue wildland‑urban-interface (WUI) compliant materials where feasible and aim for an earth‑tone palette “that just kinda fades into the hillside.”
ADR members who reviewed the story poles and plans generally supported the application, noting the site’s constraints and the benefit of rehabilitating a deteriorated structure. Several ADR members urged the applicant to address the amount of glazing on the south‑west corner, warning of a potential “lantern” or nighttime glare effect from tall expanses of glass; members suggested less‑reflective glass or other mitigation.
The applicant said they would rebuild certain stairs and retain an existing oak tree by adjusting the drive alignment rather than removing the tree. The team said they will replace an existing failing stair and that the revised elevation stays below the 30‑foot height limit (the project’s vertical dimension was reported as approximately 29.06 feet at its highest measured point in the plans shown to the ADR).
ADR members present expressed general support to forward the project to Town Council with suggestions to evaluate glazing reflectivity and to continue to use earth‑tone materials; no formal roll‑call vote was recorded in the meeting transcript. Staff will include ADR comments and the fire‑department constraints in the Council packet for the project.
