San Gabriel design panel approves two‑story home at 1100 Lafayette, requires changes to proposed front door

The San Gabriel Design Review Commission on June 24 approved a site plan (SPR21‑122) for a new two‑story single‑family home and a 1,000‑square‑foot accessory dwelling unit at 1100 Lafayette Street, provided the applicant works with the city architect to modify the proposed front entry to better match neighborhood scale.

Staff recommended approval after determining the project consistent with zoning and design standards and exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Guideline 15303 (Class 3). Samantha Tewalsar, planning manager for the community development department, told the commission the property is zoned R‑1, measures 8,252 square feet, and that staff had sent notices to properties within 300 feet; the neighborhood analysis identified 16 two‑story homes within the 300‑foot radius.

The project calls for a main house totaling 2,588 square feet with a ground floor of about 1,482 square feet, a second floor of roughly 1,106 square feet and a 1,000‑square‑foot ADU (the ADU area above an 800‑square‑foot threshold is counted per San Gabriel Municipal Code Section 153.047(D)). The proposal includes an attached garage (noted in the staff report at about 441 square feet) and landscaping with new trees and low‑water shrubs. Staff said the design adheres to development standards for height, setbacks, lot coverage and floor‑area ratio, and recommended the commission adopt a resolution approving SPR21‑122 subject to recommended conditions.

Tom Lee, the project designer, said the property will be owner‑occupied and that he and the owner agreed to the recommended conditions of approval. Lee said of the entry, “It is a recessed entry area…we can potentially lower it, but the idea is to align the top of the door with all the windows just to make everything consistent.”

Commissioners focused most of their questioning on the scale and proportion of the proposed front door, which the design shows as an eight‑foot‑high, two‑leaf mahogany door with trim. Commissioner Chang said the entry “looks out of proportion” for the lot and strongly urged the designer to work with the city architect to identify alternatives, such as a single door with sidelights. Ron, the city architect, said he reviewed the project multiple times, noted the first‑floor plate was reduced from 10 feet to 9 feet‑6 inches during review, and added that 8‑foot door and window heads are common for this design. He said a single door with sidelights would also “look very nice.”

Commissioner Lopez moved to approve the plan with the condition that the front door be addressed in consultation with the city architect and staff so the applicant would not need to return to the commission for minor changes; Commissioner Chang seconded. The commission approved the motion by unanimous roll call (three yes votes).

The approval is subject to the conditions listed in the staff report; staff indicated that the applicant’s follow‑up work with the city architect would be administrative and would not require a return appearance before the Design Review Commission unless significant design changes are made. The project record lists planning case SPR21‑122 and references San Gabriel Municipal Code Sections 153.047(D) and 153.353, and the staff report noted the CEQA Class 3 exemption (Guideline 15303).