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Planning Commission approves replacement pump station in Heatherwood Gardens; commissioner recuses
Summary
The commission approved PLN24‑027 to replace the pump station at 90 Diane Lane with a new elevated concrete pad and screened equipment platform, with added landscaping and textured/concrete coloring; vote passed 4‑0 with one recusal. Neighbors pressed for more screening and asked whether emergency electrical outlets could be provided.
The Larkspur Planning Commission on Oct. 28 approved a Public Works application to replace the pump station at 90 Diane Lane in Heatherwood Gardens with a new concrete platform and screened equipment area that elevates pumps and electrical gear above the base flood elevation.
Julian Skinner, Larkspur's public works director, told the commission the new design reduces the above‑grade footprint while placing mechanical and electrical equipment on a raised pad to keep critical equipment above Base Flood Elevation 10. "We're in the flood plain, so we wanna elevate all the equipment up so it's above Elevation 10," Skinner said, explaining the design responds to repeated flooding risks in the low‑lying site. The underground vaults will house pumps for both the city storm system and the Ross Valley sanitary district.
Skinner described a screening fence with slats, a planter hedge to cover roughly two‑thirds of the street‑visible elevation, and options tested for textured and sandstone‑colored concrete to reduce graffiti and improve aesthetics. Staff said a previously proposed on‑site sandbag station will not be built as part of this project; the city will evaluate whether sandbag operations are better consolidated at Piper Park.
Neighbors supported the upgrades but urged greater landscaping and asked whether the city's emergency generator could provide electrical outlets for device charging during outages, including potential EV charging. Resident Nadine Rishcheim noted that outlets could serve city equipment as well as community needs. Skinner said the station wasn't designed for public congregation during pump or generator operation and recommended relying on community facilities (library, public safety) for public charging; staff will nonetheless evaluate requests for electrical service or a neighborhood storage shed as a separate effort.
Because Commissioner Brock Wagstaff lives nearby he recused himself from this item. The commission voted 4‑0 to approve PLN24‑027 subject to the findings and standard conditions listed in the staff report. The decision is subject to the 10‑day appeal period.
