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Board upholds demolition permit for 255 Seacliff but pauses on penthouse, continues site‑permit debate
Summary
After hours of testimony, the Board of Appeals denied appeals of the demolition permit for 255 Seacliff Avenue 5–0; the board did not require removal of the proposed four‑story penthouse but voted to continue the site‑permit appeals to Nov. 15 to allow neighbors and the permit holder to negotiate roof‑deck parameters (board signaled ~500 sq ft as a candidate limit).
The Board of Appeals spent the latter portion of its Nov. 8 meeting on eight consolidated appeals of demolition and site permits for 255 Seacliff Avenue, where owners Anne and John Mao propose to replace an existing house with a new single‑family residence that includes a recessed penthouse and a small roof deck.
Neighbors, multiple appellants and community representatives told the board the proposal is out of character for Seacliff and would set a damaging precedent. Bruce Leppla and other appellants argued the plans show a four‑story building from the street and stressed that Seacliff has no comparable fronting four‑story buildings; they raised concerns about privacy, light pollution and the scale of glazing. "This is a 4‑story building," Leppla said, summarizing the appellants' central concern that the…
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