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Supervisor panel allows front-yard paving for wheelchair access in Ashland
Summary
After hearing testimony and a doctor's letter, Alameda County supervisors sustained an appeal and allowed a homeowner to keep a paved front-yard area used daily for medical therapy and wheelchair transfers, reversing a staff denial under the neighborhood preservation ordinance.
The Alameda County board sustained an appeal on Feb. 10 and allowed a front-yard paved area at 16815 Los Reyes Avenue to remain as a reasonable accommodation for a household member's medical needs.
The property owner, Pei Yi Shao, told the supervisors the paved area is used twice daily for medically necessary physical therapy and wheelchair transfers for her father and asked the board to reverse the planning director's denial. "The paved area serve a critical functional purpose. It's used daily for medically necessary physical therapy and mobility exercise," Shao said in remarks to the board.
Staff had denied the accommodation on the basis that alternatives existed on the lot (backyard, driveway or interior) and because the installed paving exceeded the code's front-yard paving limit (the neighborhood preservation ordinance generally limits front-yard paving to 50% of the front yard). Staff noted the property exceeded the allowed paved area and that enforcement would normally require removing concrete to comply with the code.
Supervisors weighed enforcement concerns against documented medical need. Members pointed to a letter from Asian Health Services confirming daily lower-extremity exercises and the applicant's description of wheelchair-transfer needs. One supervisor proposed conditions or alternatives (for example, exploring a ramp solution and county healthy-homes resources) but members ultimately voted to sustain the appeal and allow the existing paved area to remain.
Vote and outcome: The motion to sustain the appeal and allow the paving passed on a roll-call vote with unanimous ayes. Supervisors asked staff to follow up with the applicant on potential aging-in-place resources and encouraged further discussion of a permanent ramp solution where appropriate.
Why it matters: The decision balances neighborhood preservation rules with federal fair-housing principles and documented disability-related needs, and signals the board's willingness to grant individualized accommodations where medical documentation supports the request.
Reported voices: Appellant Pei Yi Shao, county planning staff and supervisors.
