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Heritage commission approves ADU at 402 West Birch after applicant reduces bulk; one commissioner objects
Summary
The Flagstaff Heritage Preservation Commission on Dec. 17 approved a certificate of appropriateness for a detached accessory dwelling unit and garage at 402 West Birch Avenue after design changes intended to reduce massing and preserve an on-site apple tree; Commissioner Duffy Westheimer cast the lone opposing vote, citing concerns about protecting the neighborhood overlay.
The Flagstaff Heritage Preservation Commission voted Dec. 17 to approve a certificate of appropriateness for proposed plans to build a detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and garage at 402 West Birch Avenue.
Architect Anne Mead told the commission the design team had revised plans in response to the commission's earlier comments: they reduced the bathroom dormer square footage and replaced a gable dormer with a shed roof, resized windows to better match the primary residence, split a single wide garage door into two individual doors to reduce perceived mass, lowered the main roof pitch from 8/12 to 6/12 (reducing overall building height by about 18–19 inches), removed a second-level deck to address privacy concerns, moved the building east roughly 10 feet to preserve a tree evaluated by an arborist (estimated at about 100 years old), and provided an off-alley parking space for tenants.
"We reduced the overall square footage of [the dormer] and then took the formerly gable roof off of it and put a shed roof on that dormer," Anne Mead said while walking commissioners through renderings and the site plan. Mead also explained floodplain constraints: she said one-story options were problematic under FEMA rules, which is why living space is located above the garage.
Commissioner Jesse Dominguez moved to approve the plans "as recommended by staff"; Commissioner Ace Overman seconded. The chair called for a voice vote; several commissioners responded "Aye." Commissioner Duffy Westheimer announced she opposed the motion "out of principle," raising broader concerns about the long-term effect on the historic overlay and noting that "78% of the property owners in this neighborhood voted for the overlay." The motion nevertheless carried.
Staff and the applicant clarified technical measurements during questioning. Staff said the City of Flagstaff measures building height from grade (the plan's maximum height is 23 feet 4 inches above grade, under the 25-foot maximum), while the architect's ridge reference (22 feet 9 inches) was measured from finished floor elevation. The architect confirmed the second level ceiling height is 8 feet, with roughly 7 feet of roof space above that ceiling.
The approved certificate covers the proposed exterior plans for the new detached ADU and garage; staff noted portions of the project had been approved previously. The commission recorded the approval at the Dec. 17 meeting; staff will proceed with the administrative steps to close the item.
The commission's decision does not alter federal floodplain or building-code requirements and does not itself change overlay regulations. Commissioners discussed longer-term policy questions about aligning state building code and local overlay objectives but took no formal action on those broader items.
Next procedural steps: the approved certificate allows the applicant to proceed toward permitting and construction consistent with the approved exterior plans and applicable building- and floodplain-code requirements.
