Commission approves modified discretionary review at 2720 Lyon Street with limits on elevator penthouse and windscreens
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Summary
After extensive neighbor testimony and debate about privacy, precedent and accessibility, the commission approved a modified discretionary review allowing an elevator penthouse with limits (transparent sides where it rises above the roof, minimal weather shroud, 3‑foot setbacks on north/south sides and restrained windscreens), adopting revised plans dated 10/20/2015; the motion passed 4–1.
The Planning Commission on Oct. 22 granted discretionary review for a contested roof‑deck and elevator/penthouse at 2720 Lyon Street while imposing multiple restrictions to reduce visual and privacy impacts for adjacent properties.
Neighbors and neighborhood organizations — including Cow Hollow and CalHollow associations — opposed the proposal, saying the elevator penthouse and eight‑foot opaque windscreens would set a precedent and degrade neighborhood roof‑line character. Petitioners cited adopted CalHollow design guidance and raised concerns about privacy, shadowing, and structural impacts from accessory lifts. Petitioners also proposed alternative access methods such as a vertical platform lift or stairlift to meet accessibility needs without a penthouse.
The project sponsor and architect described multiple plan revisions made after the prior hearing: removal of a stair enclosure, reduction of windscreen heights, relocation of plantings and amenities, pulling windscreens back in certain locations three feet, and design of a transparent elevator enclosure on the portions that extend above the roof. The sponsor said the elevator is intended to enable the sponsor’s mother to live in the house.
Commissioners debated technical tradeoffs: minimum elevator landings for code and weather protection, the feasibility and structural implications of a platform lift versus an elevator shaft, the impact of lowering the roof deck, and whether requiring residency evidence for the accommodated person was appropriate. The commission required the revised plans (dated 10/20/2015) be the basis of approval and attached conditions that included reduced windscreen heights with transparent top elements (42 inches total from deck level, achieved as 30‑inch parapet plus 12 inches glass in the lowered configuration), 3‑foot setbacks on north and south sides, and a nominal (one‑foot) weather‑shroud/landing at the elevator door (to reduce water intrusion) rather than a full enclosed penthouse. Commissioners specified that the elevator shaft must run to lower levels as shown on the revised sections and that documentation regarding the intended reasonable‑accommodation occupant and the final built plans be provided with the project closeout.
The motion passed 4–1 (Commissioner Johnson opposed). Staff recorded the revised, dated plans as the controlling set for the approval. Commissioners and staff noted the decision is case‑specific; several commissioners stressed they did not intend to create a broad new standard for roof‑deck penthouses across CalHollow.
Next steps: project sponsor to file permits consistent with the revised 10/20/2015 plans and conditions; staff to monitor compliance and require the documentation and as‑built confirmation described in the decision.
