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Planning commission approves River Terrace amendment keeping unit count but replacing townhomes with compact duplexes, adding 31 ADUs
Summary
The commission adopted a resolution approving amendments to the River Terrace project (DR2020-0009) at 1701 E. Laura Ave., replacing previously approved townhomes with compact duplex and single-family lots, enabling 31 accessory dwelling units and reducing covered parking from 150 to 120. The project was reviewed under an addendum to a prior EIR and staff said no further CEQA review was required.
The Longboat Planning Commission voted Nov. 20 to approve amendments to the River Terrace development at 1701 East Laura Avenue that replace a previously approved block of townhomes with a revised product of compact duplexes and single-family units while preserving the project's overall approved unit count.
Staff told commissioners the site is roughly 26 acres in medium-density residential and a portion is in a planned commercial development overlay; the original 2021 approval authorized a 7-lot subdivision and condominium airspace plan accommodating 257 residential condominium units. That breakdown included 106 detached single-family residences, 76 duplexes and 75 townhomes, staff said. Under the amendment the townhome area on the western perimeter would be replaced by duplex and single-family compact lots and 31 accessory dwelling units (ADUs) would be provided through the building permit process.
Why it matters: The applicant told the commission the change responds to rising insurance costs that made the previously approved multifamily townhome product financially infeasible. Commissioners spent substantial time pressing staff and the applicant on parking and emergency access after the amendment reduces covered parking from 150 spaces to 120 and proposes compact and on-street cutouts to partially offset the change.
Staff presentation and environmental clearance
A staff planner said the amendment was reviewed as an addendum to a previously certified environmental impact report under the California Environmental Quality Act and that "no further environmental review is required." The amendment also updates unit elevations, floor plans, condominium maps and landscaping to reflect the new compact-lot product.
Applicant response on ADUs and parking
Rob Giordano, representing Williams Homes, clarified how ADUs and parking are laid out on the revised product: "Those [red] squares are in fact the single-family units with an ADU. They are attached. They're within the same footprint of that residence," Giordano said, explaining the ADU entry is at ground level and the primary residence sits above. He added that plan 4 and plan 5 retain a two-car garage for the main residence while a roughly 9-by-18-foot concrete stall adjacent to the unit is identified as the dedicated ADU stall.
Commissioners asked whether ADUs are counted in the project's approved unit total; staff replied ADUs are not counted toward the approved density for this amendment and that ADUs can be permitted through the building plan check process. Staff said once ADUs are built or permitted, the units can be counted for annual reporting purposes.
Motion and next steps
On a motion to accept planning staff's recommendation, the commission voted in favor and adopted a resolution approving the amendments to DR2020-0009. The commission directed staff to include the final amended plans and the changes made during the hearing when the item goes to City Council for review.
The commission did not receive public oral testimony on the item during this hearing. The resolution and supporting plan sheets will be part of the administrative record forwarded to the City Council.
