ASC approves architectural review for 195 Ramoso Drive with staff conditions; commissioners ask for tighter lighting and tree protections

The Architectural and Site Control Commission (ASC) approved an architectural review and site-development permit for a new single-story residence at 195 Ramoso Drive on April 13, subject to conditions in the staff report and follow-up refinements to lighting and tree-protection details.

Senior Planner Robert Rivera summarized the proposal: a residence with detached garage, basement, pool, septic system and associated site improvements on a 2.72-acre parcel. Staff reported 45 trees on site, 25 counted as significant, and said the project proposes removal of eight trees (none classified as significant), native landscaping, exterior lighting designed to comply with the town’s dark-sky rules, and approximately 980 cubic yards of soil movement associated with grading and pool construction. Public notice was mailed to property owners within 300 feet on April 3, 2026; staff reported no prior written neighbor comments before publishing the staff report.

Applicant Tom Lanch described a multi-year search for an accessible home and the plan’s principal design goals: single-level living to accommodate family mobility needs, preservation of legacy trees where feasible, and a design palette using natural materials sympathetic to nearby Jasper Ridge. Lanch noted the lot’s geologic complexity (two fault formations meeting on site) and said the team negotiated a site-specific setback around a mapped fault with the town geologist.

Public commenters and commissioners raised concerns about grading volume and off‑site impacts from hauling soil, the visibility and direction of exterior lighting (suggesting fewer wall-wash fixtures and more down-directed, shielded lighting), and tree protection details near story poles identified on the site visit. Commissioners Carter, Gina and Lance encouraged the applicant to minimize wall-wash and to embed more step/railing lighting rather than high-eave fixtures so off-site darkness is preserved.

After discussion the ASC voted to approve the project as presented, with the standard conditions in the staff report and an explicit request that final lighting details be refined to reduce off-site skyglow and to direct light downward. The commission also asked staff to verify tree-protection measures and to confirm whether any additional reviews are necessary if grading quantities change.

What happens next: staff will finalize permit conditions and work with the applicant on lighting plans and tree‑protection measures; because the project’s grading was within the ASC threshold as presented, it did not require referral to the Planning Commission unless the applicant later proposes greater soil movement or other changes.