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Planning Commission upholds building permit for Church Street addition, denies discretionary review 4–1
Summary
The commission voted 4–1 to deny a neighbor’s discretionary‑review appeal and allow a rear addition and deck at 1883 Church Street, with one commissioner dissenting over privacy concerns to adjacent properties.
The Planning Commission on Sept. 15 considered a discretionary‑review appeal of a permit to add a rear deck, two bathrooms and a bedroom to a single‑family home at 1883 Church Street in Diamond Heights. Planning staff recommended approval and said the project had incorporated residential‑design review team suggestions.
Opposing neighbors argued the scale (a three‑story horizontal addition extending about 33 feet with a 12‑foot deck) would overpower the site and diminish mid‑block open‑space views. The project sponsor and several nearby neighbors offered support letters and said the owners had worked with neighbors and made design concessions (frosted glass, pitched roof, moved deck) to address concerns.
Commissioners debated privacy impacts from the second‑floor deck that spans the full width of the addition; Commissioner Moore asked the sponsor to consider pulling the deck back on both sides by about a foot to reduce direct sightlines into adjacent windows, but Commissioner Johnson and others argued the design was a modest extension and met code. The commission voted 4–1 (Moore dissenting) not to sustain the discretionary review, effectively allowing the permit to move forward as presented.
Next steps: the permit proceeds under the standard building‑permit process subject to any conditions already included in the permit package.
