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Planning commission approves parking‑count modification for 320 Mendocino Street
Summary
The Brisbane Planning Commission approved a use permit to allow an approximately 73‑sq‑ft addition at 320 Mendocino Street and to modify how parking spaces are counted — reducing the required off‑street spaces from four to three and covered spaces from two to one. Staff recommended approval and commissioners voted in favor after public comment.
The Brisbane Planning Commission on Feb. 26 approved a use permit allowing a roughly 73‑square‑foot enclosure at 320 Mendocino Street and a modification to local parking counts so the property would be treated as having three recognized parking spaces instead of four.
Jeremiah, planning staff, told commissioners the property is on an approximately 4,800‑square‑foot lot in the R‑1 district and that, under the municipal code, owners may cumulatively expand homes up to 400 square feet without triggering additional parking requirements. Jeremiah said the home’s previously approved 335‑sq‑ft addition (2015) plus the proposed 73‑sq‑ft addition exceed that 400‑sq‑ft exception, which would normally require two covered parking spaces and two additional on‑ or off‑street spaces. He said the lot configuration, the detached garage’s location and a street tree limit the number of parking spaces that can be legally recognized to three, and staff therefore recommended approval of Use Permit 2025‑UP‑01‑PE and the findings in the draft resolution.
The applicant, designer Joe Cool, told the commission the proposed work encloses a roof deck in a shaded corner of the house “to prevent the mold growth that has occurred in that corner due to the lack of sunlight,” and said the change is intended to make the space more usable rather than to increase occupancy.
A caller, Emily Warwick, who identified herself as a Mendocino resident and chair of the Complete Streets and Safety Committee, urged commissioners not to reduce parking citywide or for this property. “We have a parking issue in our town,” she said, adding that the household in question “has 4 to 5 vehicles” and suggesting staff verify registered vehicles or consider alternatives such as a front‑yard parking pad.
Commissioners pressed staff for clarification about how the code treats tandem spaces and how the 400‑square‑foot cumulative threshold is calculated. Commissioner Gooding noted that he observed “a boat on a trailer parked in the driveway,” which he said suggests the garage is not being used for car storage; other commissioners said that while neighborhood parking is a systemic concern, the present addition is small and unlikely to increase vehicle demand materially.
Commissioner Gooding moved to approve the application and confirm the findings in the draft resolution; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The chair read the appeal process and deadlines, noting that appeals for use permits and variances have a shorter filing window (six days) and providing the city clerk’s contact information.
The commission’s action authorizes staff to proceed with the building‑permit review under the approved use permit conditions; any party dissatisfied with the decision may file an appeal to the City Council in the timeframes the chair recited.
