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Planning commission upholds variance for garage at 600 Canyon Drive despite neighbor objections
Summary
The Placer County Planning Commission upheld a zoning administrator's approval of a variance allowing a 1,200-square-foot detached garage at 600 Canyon Drive after staff concluded the revised siting met variance findings; neighbors had raised concerns about a concrete slab in the stream setback, tree removal and possible encroachment onto Placer Land Trust land.
The Placer County Planning Commission voted to uphold the zoning administrator's October approval of a variance allowing a 1,200-square-foot detached garage to be sited 18 feet from a road easement and 35 feet from the centerline of an intermittent stream on a 1.9-acre parcel at 600 Canyon Drive in unincorporated Auburn.
Staff presented the project and the administrative record, including the application history, environmental and technical reviews, and responses to neighbor concerns. Associate Planner Martin Romero told commissioners that, after routing the application and follow-up site checks, staff confirmed the revised garage location satisfied the findings required for a variance and that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) had determined no lake-and-stream alteration agreement was needed. Romero said the department's game warden reported "no violations were observed" and "no report was filed as no violations were found and the case was closed."
Neighbors at the hearing described on-site changes during the application period and asked the commission to reverse the zoning administrator. Resident Andrew Wold told the commission he believed the applicant had "committed a fraud" by pouring a slab while an application was pending and urged enforcement or denial. Another neighbor and retired surveyor, Tom Fasiano, described differing survey points and expressed erosion concerns near the slab. The appellant, Antoinette Febella, was not present; her appeal letter alleged unauthorized site alterations, concerns about stream impacts and inaccuracies in project descriptions.
Applicant counsel Marcus Leduca told the commission the concrete slab had existed for decades and was reconstructed in 2024, and that the applicant had taken steps to address neighbor concerns. Leduca said the approved, revised proposal placed the garage 35 feet from the stream centerline rather than the 8-foot location in earlier filings and agreed to the recommended conditions of approval, including standard best management practices during construction.
Commission discussion focused on whether the matters raised in public comment (the slab, tree removal and disputed boundary lines) were dispositive of the variance findings. Staff and the project record characterized those matters as either already evaluated by responsible agencies (CDFW) or as private-party disputes or code-enforcement issues separate from the variance findings. The planning commission concluded the record supported the zoning administrator's findings and voted to deny the appeal and thereby uphold the zoning administrator's approval.
The commission noted that private-party boundary disputes and any potential code violations (for tree removal or unpermitted activity) could be pursued through separate processes: landowner claims to the Placer Land Trust and county code-enforcement channels. The planning director also reminded the public that the commission's decision may be appealed to the Board of Supervisors within 10 days.
The commission's action affirms staff's recommendation that the project is categorically exempt from further CEQA review under the county's environmental review ordinance for the type of small-structure and minor alteration proposed, and upholds the zoning administrator's approval subject to recommended conditions.
The commission closed the hearing and moved to the next agenda item.
