Carpinteria planners tell Kohler project team to move garage to rear, continue review

The Carpinteria Planning Commission on [meeting date] continued consideration of a development plan, lot‑line adjustment and coastal development permit for a new two‑story single‑family residence at 333 Linden Avenue, directing the applicant to redesign the project so vehicle access and the garage are located at the rear of the lot.

Staff told commissioners the proposal would create a 3,866‑square‑foot, two‑story house (about 3,334 square feet of living area plus a 432‑square‑foot two‑car garage) on reconfigured parcels that would each measure roughly 7,573.5 square feet after the adjustment. Staff also described a tree‑protection plan intended to retain a 30‑inch sycamore tree; an arborist estimate included in staff materials showed about 42–43% of the tree’s critical root zone would be encroached by construction and would require hand excavation and temporary plywood protection for roots.

Public commenters — including immediate neighbors and Linden Avenue business owners — urged the commission to reject or substantially shrink the house, citing impacts on neighborhood character, views, pedestrian safety from backing onto busy Linden Avenue, and the potential that large houses on multiple adjacent parcels could be operated as a cluster of short‑term rentals. Neighbors also asked what would happen to the adjacent historic “Steinhaus” structure; the applicant’s team did not announce any demolition plan for that building.

Architect Dylan Chapelle and project manager George Miners said the design was intentionally kept below the maximum allowable lot coverage and height, and that retaining the sycamore forced tradeoffs that made a front‑facing garage the straightforward layout on a 45‑foot‑wide lot. They told the commission owner intentions for short‑term rental use were not finalized and that the owner had placed the properties on the city’s short‑term rental waiting list.

Commissioners focused their discussion on ground‑floor pedestrian experience, the visual effect of a garage‑front façade on the Linden corridor, and safety concerns about vehicles backing onto a busy, pedestrian‑oriented street. Staff noted the property is in the Beach Neighborhood Overlay where short‑term rentals are an allowed use but regulated by a city licensing program and waiting lists; the commission cannot bar an allowed use in isolation because city code and state/federal law constrain discretionary denial. Commissioners suggested options including a recorded easement for rear access or adjustments to the lot‑line plan to enable a rear garage.

A motion to continue the Kohler Residence item to a future planning commission hearing and to direct the applicant and staff to produce revised plans relocating the garage to the rear (with access via Dorrance Way or recorded easement, at the applicant’s discretion) carried 3–2. The commission asked staff to work with the applicant on the redesign and return the project for further review.

The project materials and staff report included references to the Beach Neighborhood design guidelines (including DG4/DG5 guidance on second‑floor massing and garage frontage), the lot‑line documents showing the proposed east–west reconfiguration, and the tree‑protection plan. Next steps will be a revised submittal by the applicant and a subsequent planning commission hearing to consider the modified plan.