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Ross ADR backs pool variance at 47 Poplar with neighbors' support
Summary
The Ross Architectural Design Review (ADR) recommended the Town Council approve a variance for an in-ground pool at 47 Poplar Avenue after neighbors and ADR members said the lot shape, adjacent tennis courts and mitigation measures reduced impacts.
The Ross Architectural Design Review (ADR) on March 18 recommended that the Town Council approve a variance allowing a homeowner at 47 Poplar Avenue to place a new in‑ground pool partly within the rear/side setbacks.
The applicant said the 52‑foot‑wide lot leaves a narrow buildable area and that the pool location preserves an existing play lawn and maximizes distance from adjacent homes. He said pool equipment would be installed inside an insulated mechanical closet attached to an accessory unit under separate permit. Neighbors who live immediately north and south of the property said they had reviewed the plans and supported the proposal.
ADR members repeatedly cited the lot’s narrow shape and the presence of the town tennis/pickleball courts behind the property in recommending approval. “Normally I would be a big advocate of not putting pool equipment in the setback. However, I think this property is unique,” an ADR member said, noting the active public courts reduce the sense of increased noise from pool equipment. Another member said rotating the pool would place it closer to neighbors’ homes and that preserving a mature tree and a patch of lawn justified the requested location.
The owner presented a list of findings intended to satisfy the town’s variance criteria: special circumstances tied to lot size and existing development, minimal harm to public welfare because there are no rear neighbors, and precedent in Ross for granting setbacks for pools on similarly constrained lots. He provided staff reports and prior approvals at nearby addresses as examples.
Neighbors Kyle Rosso (45 Poplar) and Tim Hill (south neighbor) spoke in favor. ADR members present — including Joey Buckingham, Mark Fritz and Steven Sutro — voiced support and asked that the formal findings be clearly stated when the council considers the item.
Because ADR’s recommendation is advisory, the matter will next go to the Town Council for a final decision. The ADR record notes the owner’s mitigation commitments: insulating the mechanical closet, locating equipment deliberately at the corner of an ADU to reduce impact, and maintaining screening hedges that are currently about 7 feet high and expected to mature to roughly 12 feet.
Votes at ADR were recorded as informal consensus during the discussion; no stand-alone roll‑call vote appears in the transcript. Staff will forward ADR’s recommendation and the owner’s materials to the council.
