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Design review OK'd for 3-story home with ADU at 221 Lafayette Circle after DRC conditions on landscaping and color
Summary
The Lafayette Design Review Committee approved a three-story single-family residence with a 548-sq-ft ADU at 221 Lafayette Circle, found the project exempt from CEQA per staff recommendation, and directed the applicant to substitute Italian cypress with a lower-flammability species and use a lighter accent color approved by staff.
The Design Review Committee unanimously approved a design-review application for 221 Lafayette Circle, a three-story single-family residence with an attached accessory dwelling unit, after hearing staff and applicant presentations and discussing landscaping, drainage and exterior materials.
Staff summary: Planning staff reported that the primary dwelling is 2,487 square feet and the ADU is 548 square feet (3,035 square feet total living area). The parcel is currently an asphalt parking lot in the Lafayette Circle area; the project proposes 17 replacement/protected trees, landscaping to screen adjacent multifamily uses, and conditions recommended in a staff report. Staff also noted a CEQA finding of exemption for the project as presented in the staff draft and recommended removing a previously-drafted ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) condition after consultation with applicant and staff.
Applicant presentation: Rick Rosenbaum, senior project manager with Lenox Homes, described site constraints for the flag lot, stepped roof forms and facade articulation to reduce bulk, and a landscape plan with screening plantings intended to mitigate privacy and shading concerns raised by neighbors. "We came here tonight not asking for any exceptions," Rosenbaum said, describing the design as consistent with the Retail Business zoning district and downtown planning documents.
Commissioner concerns and condition: Commissioners asked about permeable pavers for the driveway (the city engineer advised that a subdrain requirement may make pavers infeasible on the flat lot), lighting glare from a covered third-floor deck, and the proposed use of Italian cypress as a tall screening tree. One commissioner flagged fire-safety guidance and the high flammability of Italian cypress and asked the applicant to choose a lower-flammability substitute. Several commissioners also asked the applicant to tone down the high-contrast dark accent color on the facade.
Action: Commissioner Richard moved to find the project exempt from CEQA per staff recommendation and approve it subject to staff-recommended conditions, adding two project-specific directions: replace the proposed Italian cypress with a lower-flammability species and have the applicant select a lighter accent color for administrative staff approval. The motion was seconded and passed 4-0.
Next steps: Staff will finalize the resolution and conditions of approval and confirm the acceptable substitute planting species and final color selection; the project will be governed by the recorded conditions and any standard building-permit requirements.
