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Zoning administrator approves hillside permit for 3716 Skyfarm Drive (Betty Residence)
Summary
The Santa Rosa zoning administrator approved a minor hillside development permit for a new two-story, 6,640 sq ft single-family home at 3716 Skyfarm Drive after staff presentation and brief public comment; there is no pool on the submitted plans and the decision may be appealed by July 6, 2026.
The Zoning Administrator approved a minor hillside development permit for the Betty Residence, a proposed two-story, 6,640-square-foot single-family home at 3716 Skyfarm Drive, finding the design consistent with applicable design guidelines and zoning standards.
Planning staff told the administrator the site has slopes greater than 10 percent and that the proposed house would include a basement, garage, driveway, grading, drainage and retaining-wall improvements. Staff said grading has been minimized, the structure is sited away from the steepest parts of the hill and that the project is generally consistent with the general plan designation of very low density residential and the planned development zoning designation cited in staff materials.
Janice Carmen, a member of the public, praised the application’s architecture and asked whether a pool was proposed, saying, “this house needs a pool” and noting pools on hillside sites can be “much more complicated” because of retaining walls and seismic concerns. Planning staff and the administrator confirmed there is no pool on the submitted plans and explained that a pool would require a separate hillside development permit and a building-permit application that would show load-bearing retaining-wall details.
The administrator said they had no suggested edits to the recommended conditions of approval and formally approved the permit. The decision is final unless an appeal is filed within 10 calendar days; the administrator stated the appeal deadline for this item is July 6, 2026.
Project details reported at the hearing included the site’s dual frontage on Thomas Lake Havish Drive and Skyfarm Drive, the 6,640-square-foot proposed house footprint, and conditions requiring a building permit for any future pool or additional work not included in the approved plans.
The approval concluded the public meeting for this agenda item; any appeal must be filed within the stated 10-day period.
