Staff hearing officer approves open‑yard modification, bathroom addition at 137 Santa Rosa Place

Tess Harris, the staff hearing officer, approved an application on April 1, 2026, for a 76‑square‑foot single‑story addition and a 42‑inch front fence at 137 Santa Rosa Place in the Mesa area, granting an open‑yard modification that reduces the required open yard to 725 square feet and recognizes an additional 492 square feet that functions as open yard but cannot be counted under the primary front‑yard rule.

Assistant planner Jillian Fenessy told the hearing that the corner lot is zoned E3 in the coastal zone, is nonconforming to front setbacks and is constrained by two required 20‑foot front setbacks (Santa Rosa Place and San Nicholas Avenue). She recommended approving the modification and a categorical exemption from further environmental review under section 15301, noting the addition is minor and the proposal preserves light and air and the neighborhood scale. "Staff supports the open yard modification because the proposed addition is minor and constitutes an appropriate improvement," Fenessy said.

Applicant representative Jared Goran of Vanguard Planning said the lot’s irregular, "pie‑slice" shape and dual front setbacks make this a textbook case for a modification. "You need a relief valve when you've got situations like this that couldn't get sort of contemplated when you're writing up a whole zoning ordinance," Goran said, arguing the small bathroom is located to minimize impacts on massing and neighbor views.

Harris said she had visited the site, noted its proximity to Shoreline Park, and found the project consistent with the purposes of the open‑yard requirement. She made the environmental finding that the project qualifies for an exemption under section 15301 and approved the open‑yard modification and the related findings in the staff report. The approval is subject to a standard 10‑day appeal period; Harris advised the applicant to proceed with building‑permit filings if no appeal is filed.