Albany City planning commission approves two‑story addition at 532 Talbot Ave

The Albany City Planning and Zoning Commission on April 8 approved design review for a two‑story addition at 532 Talbot Avenue (PA26‑004), clearing the project to proceed subject to a two‑week appeal period.

Associate planner Mira Hahn told commissioners the 3,750‑square‑foot lot currently holds a roughly 921‑square‑foot single‑story home built in 1924. The proposal calls for a 287‑square‑foot first‑floor addition and an 869‑square‑foot second story at the rear, producing a 2,622‑square‑foot two‑story residence with a maximum height of 27 feet, 9 inches. Hahn said the plans include an approximately 500‑square‑foot accessory dwelling unit in the front portion of the house that is not subject to design review, and that the project meets R‑1 district development standards and is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). "It is consistent with the city's residential design guidelines, and it is categorically exempt from CEQA," Hahn said.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about how the ADU is counted and about circulation and materials. Hahn clarified that an attached ADU is deducted from floor‑area ratio calculations…