Ross ADR to recommend support for 34 Poplar Avenue design review and variance requests

Ross — On June 11 the Ross Architectural Design Review (ADR) board reviewed a design application for 34 Poplar Avenue and agreed to forward a recommendation of support to the town council for design review, a minor exception permit and a variance to allow an outdoor service bar and related features within a side-yard setback.

Town staff said the application requests permission for "an outdoor kitchen" and a new heat pump within the side-yard setback, plus a 4-foot driveway gate on Redwood Drive and a proposed 6-foot pedestrian gate on Poplar Avenue; staff noted they had "received a couple of comments from neighbors being concerned about the noise from the outdoor kitchen." The applicant’s team emphasized the proposal is a covered service bar with refrigeration, a warming drawer and a sink, not a full cooking station. "I prefer to call it a service bar," the design team representative said, adding the intent is to free yard space for outdoor dining while keeping activities away from nearest residences.

Board members questioned materials, sightlines and gate proportions. The design team confirmed the grotto frame will be a metal frame with a Kynar finish and that the driveway gate would use horizontal wood slats; presenters said they will replace the white vertical picket fence to match the new fencing. ADR members urged visual continuity between front and rear fencing and suggested using plantings behind a 4-foot fence to help screen views from the sidewalk. One member noted the black banding at the grotto reads "heavy" in the current drawings and recommended adjustments to make the transition feel lighter.

Although staff reported a few neighbor concerns about noise, several ADR members concluded the proposed location — adjacent to the commercial block and partly hidden from neighboring houses — would minimize privacy and noise impacts. Joey Buckingham, an ADR member, said he could "make findings for why there can be these exceptions," and Steven Sutro said the heat pump location and the proposed 6-foot pedestrian gate were appropriate given the property's relationship to the commercial district.

The ADR did not record a roll-call vote on the recommendation in the transcript; members expressed consensus support and agreed to forward their recommendation to the town council. The next procedural step is the town council review of the design review application and the requested permits.