HLC reviews tight‑lot mixed‑use proposal at 813 Garden St.; neighbors raise solar and privacy concerns
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Summary
Architect Jeff Shelton presented a three‑story mixed‑use building with an owner residence, ADU and eight boutique guest rooms for a narrow Garden Street lot. Commissioners praised the creative layout and model but asked the team to soften the street façade’s ornament and color to better fit El Pueblo Viejo; neighbors asked for setback or mitigation for loss of daylight to an adjacent one‑story craftsman.
Jeff Shelton Architects presented a compact three‑story mixed‑use proposal Dec. 3 for 813 Garden Street that would combine an owner residence, an accessory dwelling unit and an eight‑room boutique hotel on a narrow, sloped lot. The design uses a two‑building arrangement around a small courtyard, elevated casita units in the rear, and a rooftop open‑yard for the private residence.
The presentation included a physical model that commissioners and staff said clarified massing and circulation. Neighbors and a nearby homeowner said the proposal could block substantial daylight to an adjacent 1920s craftsman and asked the team to consider setbacks or other mitigation. Commissioners and the working group also debated façade treatment: several said the front elevation should be toned down and use a more traditional EPV‑appropriate treatment (white or an earthier muted color) while allowing playful detailing, color or ornament in rear units or lower‑visibility areas; others supported a more playful palette but urged a subtler execution.
On balance the commission found the massing and program acceptable for the site but requested the applicant return with refinements to the street‑front elevation, solar/property‑impact analysis for the adjacent house and a reduced‑impact color/ornament strategy; the commission continued the item.