ASRB sends 45 Mission Trail rebuild to formal design review

The Woodside Town Architectural and Site Review Board voted unanimously on Jan. 12 to send a proposal to demolish an existing residence, guest house and pool at 45 Mission Trail and construct a new single-story main residence, detached garage and swimming pool to formal staff design review.

Sarah, the planning staff presenter, described the 1-acre property in the SR zoning district and said the new main residence would be a single-story building with a maximum height of about 17.5 feet, standing-seam metal roofs, cement-board and wood siding, and muted earth-tone colors. Sarah said the ADU in the detached-garage location is already under separate building-permit review and is not part of the ASRB's design-review decision. "Their preliminary calculations show that they would be in compliance with their maximum paved area," she said, while noting staff would verify that during formal design review.

Board members pressed staff and the applicant on several details. One member asked whether the driveway expansion and pool area complied with allowable paved-area rules; staff said preliminary calculations indicate compliance but a formal review will confirm. Members asked about the ADU's size (Sarah estimated about 1,200 square feet) and about the main house total floor area; staff said the application shows the proposed main house to be just under the rule-of-thumb allowance (roughly 4,735 square feet according to the staff report) and noted that certain ADU area may be excluded from that calculation.

The board identified several items that will require follow-up in formal review: a complete lighting plan (none was submitted with the current package), final verification that overhangs and eaves comply with setback allowances, and an adjustment if plate or overall heights exceed limits. Staff flagged a potential plate/overall height issue that the applicant will have to correct if necessary. Members emphasized early landscape screening along the east property line to reduce visibility of the pool and yard from Mission Trail, and the applicant said a landscape architect is preparing plans and that some existing privet and fruit trees will be retained or extended for screening.

After deliberation, a board member moved and another seconded that the project proceed to formal staff design review. The ASRB conducted a roll-call vote and recorded unanimous "Yes" responses; staff told the applicant it would receive a letter within a day or two outlining next steps and submittal requirements.

The board's action is procedural: it forwards the project to the next step of design review rather than approving construction permits. Final compliance with zoning, setback, paved-area and building-code standards will be confirmed at the formal design-review and building-permit stages.