Neighbor urges council to send 156 Bit Road project back to design review over alleged code and packet errors

Terra Pachuan, a neighbor who lives at 164 Bit Road, urged the council to send a proposed house at 156 Bit Road back to the Architectural and Site Review Board (ASRB), saying the packet presented to the board contained factual errors and omitted required code analysis.

"The plans presented contain objective code violations," Pachuan told the council, citing setbacks, development on slopes steeper than 35 percent, and a substantial retaining wall that she said should not have been allowed. She added that the ASRB packet incorrectly stated the property was connected to sewer when it was not, and that the board therefore made recommendations based on inaccurate information.

Pachuan also said the project was not meaningfully evaluated under section 153.911 of the Woodside Municipal Code, the design standard she said is intended to "minimize grading, protect privacy, [and] preserve neighborhood character." She asked the council to return the project to the ASRB for review of code‑compliant plans and accurate materials to avoid later legal challenges and neighborhood impacts.

Town staff responded that the property had completed conceptual design review (which focuses on the basic project design and feedback) and that the applicant has submitted materials for formal design review, which is the phase intended to examine detailed information for code compliance. Staff said portions of the formal submittal remain incomplete and that neighbors would be notified of decisions and may appeal planning commission determinations to the town council.

Mayor Donowski and other council members emphasized the difference between conceptual and formal design review and reminded Pachuan that formal appeal rights exist at later stages. Staff said some application items (setbacks and other code matters) are being revised by the applicant and will be reviewed at the formal phase, where a timely administrative appeal is available and further decisions can be appealed to the planning commission and then to the council.

The council did not take immediate action on the request; staff committed to keeping neighbors informed about the timeline for formal design review and appeal opportunities.

Next steps: neighbors and the applicant will proceed through the formal design review process; any incomplete items must be resolved before final staff determination, and neighbors retain appeal rights to the planning commission and the council.