Tiburon Design Review Board approves 536 Commtock Drive remodel, orders 1-foot lowering of living-room roof peak and tree limits

The Tiburon Town Design Review Board voted to approve site-plan and architectural review for a remodel at 536 Commtock Drive on June 4, adopting a resolution with three conditions intended to reduce view impacts on downhill neighbors.

The approval requires the highest point of the sloping living-room roof to be lowered by one foot, restricts front-yard trees so their mature height does not exceed 12 feet, and limits roof materials to one of the three options submitted with the application. The board moved to adopt the draft resolution and the vote was recorded during roll call at the end of the hearing.

The applicant, architect Andrea Malttobano of Dormund Associates, said the design team “tried to lower the roof as much as we could,” and explained that the project includes installing 6 inches of exterior rigid insulation to meet California’s Title 24 energy code, which affects exterior roof geometry. Malttobano and designer Alex Gabelli of Integrated Design Studio described modest landscape changes (low redwood fencing, a small patio and pergola, and low-water plantings) and a small entry and master-suite addition intended to provide single-level living.

Several neighbors spoke during public comment. Joelen Highland (533 Commtock) welcomed the new residence but urged the board to consider a reduction at the tallest roof point, citing the staff report’s suggestion that a modest lowering would mitigate much of the visual impact on 534 Commtock. “I urge the board to consider recommending a reduction of the roof line of this project,” Highland said. Laura Limber (534 Commtock), who identified herself as the most-impacted neighbor, said the proposed roof plane and material choices would affect her views and urged a lower pitch; she also said she preferred a standing-seam metal roof over the stone-ballast option shown.

Board members said they reviewed story poles, the applicant’s view study and multiple site visits before deliberating. Members debated whether to flatten a short roof segment or reduce the peak and discussed how much interior volume would be affected. Multiple board members favored a one-foot reduction at the living-room peak as an achievable compromise to restore part of the neighbors’ city-view “money shot” while preserving most of the applicant’s interior ceiling volume. Members also expressed concern about planting trees in the front yard that could later grow tall enough to block neighbors’ views; the condition adopted limits mature front-yard plantings to approximately 12 feet.

Chair Chong noted that the board cannot deny or condition projects on rooftop solar under state law; staff referenced Assembly Bill 2188 and the California Solar Rights Act during the hearing to explain that solar arrays are excluded from discretionary design review unless they exceed certain thresholds.

The motion adopted the draft resolution approving file 2126-22 with the stated conditions. The record shows confusion in the spoken vote tally during the meeting, but staff’s roll call at the conclusion recorded the board’s affirmative votes on the resolution.

Next steps: The applicant must submit revised drawings that show the lowered living-room roof peak and the specified landscaping limits for final building-permit review. The project will proceed through the town’s normal building-permit process; because the applicant voluntarily characterized the work as new construction for permitting clarity, the project will be subject to the applicable building and fire-safety requirements noted in the staff report.

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