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Ross ADR reviews 12 Madera ADU plan; members question garage dormers, windows and an 85‑sq‑ft FAR ask
Summary
The ADR reviewed an attached ADU and garage redesign at 12 Madera. Designer Wendy Posard said the ADU is just under 1,000 sq ft and the team requested an 85‑sq‑ft FAR exception; members supported raising the garage roof to match the house but opposed dormers and windows facing the downhill neighbor and urged alternatives or masking.
At its Nov. 18 meeting the Town of Ross Advisory Design Review committee reviewed a conceptual remodel at 12 Madera that would attach an ADU to the primary residence and alter the existing garage.
Designer Wendy Posard told the committee the ADU is "slightly under 1,000 square feet" and said the project seeks a deed restriction to allow the ADU to reach the 1,000‑square‑foot threshold. The team also proposed raising the garage gable to match the main house, adding dormers and additional windows, and using the same materials to blend the garage with the primary residence.
Committee members described the garage as a nonconforming structure (one member said it may be "an inch over the property line") and repeatedly urged caution about dormers or windows that would face the downhill neighbor. Members said they would support raising the garage roof to match the house’s pitch and improving garage architecture, but they opposed additional dormers and windows on elevations that look directly into a neighbor’s yard. One member asked whether masking with fencing or plantings could mitigate impact; another noted that a 20‑foot tall fence to block proposed windows would be inconsistent with code and therefore impractical.
The committee also debated the 85‑square‑foot FAR request for the ADU. Staff and members suggested the applicant could rework plan details to avoid the FAR ask or apply for an ADU exception tied to deed restriction and findings. Members recommended architectural treatments to reduce the perceived mass of the ADU — panelization, stepped facades, a deeper cornice or dormers — and discussed whether an ADU height exception or variance would be the correct path to secure the desired massing.
Outcome: The ADR indicated conditional support for the architect’s approach while asking the team to eliminate or justify the 85‑square‑foot FAR ask, to remove or relocate dormers and side/rear windows that would intrude on neighbor privacy, and to return with revised plans and clarified code citations for height and ADU exceptions.
No final decision or permit approval was recorded during the meeting.
