Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the 118 Winding Way topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ADR supports variances for 118 Winding Way retaining walls, requests mature plantings
Summary
The ADR recommended forwarding support to the town council for design review and variances at 118 Winding Way to allow two retaining walls (one about 7 ft 10 in), a 310 sq ft patio expansion and related work; the architect said neighbors signed a letter approving the walls and the board asked for a clear planting plan (DR4).
Ross — The Ross ADR reviewed the application for 118 Winding Way on June 11 and indicated it would forward a recommendation of support to the town council for design review and variances to allow two stone retaining walls (one measuring about 7 feet 10 inches) and a 310-square-foot expansion of an approved gravel patio.
Architect and landscape architect Ron Sutton presented site history and constraints for the 2.7-acre lot, noting the primary house dates to 1924 and that an 800-square-foot accessory dwelling unit (ADU) was approved in 2022. Sutton explained the retaining walls are necessary to connect the house terrace, pool and ADU on a steep hillside and that some wall elements fall inside a 45-foot side-yard setback, triggering the need for variances. "They literally can't see them from below," Sutton said of downslope neighbors and added that the property owners had worked closely with those neighbors and received a signed letter of approval.
Sutton described mitigations including planting a green screen of laurels where feasible and keeping the terrace surface as impervious pavers set in sand to avoid increasing runoff; he said the net increase in retaining-wall length added a modest amount to impervious surface calculations. ADR members asked for specifics in the planting plan; Sutton pointed members to sheet DR4 for the planting legend ("Filatina Fraser 5 gallon" is listed in the set) and discussed the site's oak trees and saved laurels. Several ADR members recommended that plantings at the base of the wall be relatively mature at installation to achieve faster screening, while staff commented that smaller plants sometimes perform better on steep slopes and may be more appropriate in this location.
Board members generally supported the design and the applicant's neighbor coordination but emphasized that placing an ADU in a side setback does not automatically permit all adjacent patios or connections and said future cases should be considered on their merits. The ADR discussion closed with a consensus to forward a recommendation to the town council; no roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript.
