Glendale DRB approves new front-house and ADU conversion at 5236 Maryland Ave with design and drainage conditions

The Glendale Design Review Board on Feb. 27 approved plans to build a new 3,496-square-foot, two-story single-family residence with an attached two-car garage at 5236 Maryland Ave and to convert the existing house into an accessory dwelling unit, subject to conditions requiring plan revisions and drainage protections.

The project, in the R‑1 zone on a 19,860-square-foot lot in District 2, will require approximately 700 cubic yards of fill to establish the new building pad and sits about 18 feet above the street level. Associate Planner Eric G. presented the proposal and recommended four staff conditions, including reducing the attached garage height, showing trash‑storage and downspout locations on revised plans, reducing the scale of certain windows, and specifying concrete or other higher‑quality moldings rather than the urethane material originally proposed.

Neighbors and others flagged privacy and drainage concerns that influenced the board’s added conditions. Tim Cotter, who owns the adjacent lower-elevation property, said he had not seen the plans prior to the hearing and was concerned about overlooking and how the driveway and garage align on the shared property line. Caller James Baber, who lives on Rim Hill Road behind the site, asked for assurances that roof runoff and new hardscape would not drain onto his property during heavy rains.

Board members said they generally supported the design but pressed for more proportional window sizes and a modest lowering of the garage. The applicant’s design team member, Vacek Tersarkeesian, said the team has already addressed several of staff’s conditions and would coordinate with engineers on retaining wall and foundation issues. The applicant confirmed plan‑check review and building‑and‑safety checks would verify retaining‑wall and structural integrity.

In addition to staff’s four items, the board added conditions to: reduce the scale of the sliding doors and the first‑floor windows marked “A” for improved façade proportion; relocate or eliminate exterior light fixtures so lighting is contained within the porch rather than mounted on the outside face; use two‑piece mission (clay) roof tiles rather than the single‑profile tile shown; and require that drainage from new rooflines and hardscape be directed to Maryland Avenue rather than toward lower neighboring lots. Building and Safety staff will confirm drainage and retaining‑wall compliance at plan check.

The motion to approve the project with staff conditions plus the additional items read into the record passed, 3‑0 (Board Member Welch moved; Board Member Halajian seconded; Chair Koskonian, Welch and Halajian voted yes).

The DRB file for the item is Designer Review Board case PDR004075‑2024. Decisions and staff reports will be posted on the Planning Division page of glendaleca.gov; any appeal of the DRB decision must be filed within 15 calendar days of the decision date.

Notes: the project site abuts a higher‑elevation special recreation zone for the Ananda Ashramma. The applicant agreed to coordinate remaining clarifications and plan access with staff after the hearing.