Neighbors press for ADU notice and construction plans as Los Altos zoning administrator approves new house at 671 Covington Road

Stephanie Williams, Los Altos zoning administrator, approved a design‑review application on July 15 for a new two‑story single‑family home at 671 Covington Road, following a staff presentation and several neighbor comments.

An associate planner identified in the record as Jan presented the project: a 3,720‑square‑foot two‑story home proposed for a 10,670‑square‑foot lot, involving demolition of an existing house, removal of two protected trees (listed as a Norway spruce and a black walnut) for a proposed pool structure, and replacement tree plantings and landscape screening. Staff said the project complies with R1‑10 development standards and the single‑family residential design guidelines, cited a categorical CEQA exemption (section 15303), and recommended approval subject to findings and conditions in the staff report.

Neighbor Tricia Brennan said she and her husband were not notified about an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) that appears on the project plans and asked where it would be placed. Zoning Administrator Williams explained that ADUs are reviewed ministerially through building permits and do not require public noticing as part of a design‑review application; she noted that applicants sometimes show ADUs schematically in design submissions but that ADU permitting occurs separately.

Multiple neighbors raised detailed concerns about construction impacts, including utility trenching across frontages, long‑term parking impacts (several speakers said similar projects have affected street parking for extended periods), limited driveway visibility, and potential disruption to mail and deliveries. Williams reiterated that construction‑stage traffic mitigation plans are not required by policy for typical single‑family home projects and that parking on the public right‑of‑way is allowed within existing limits; she encouraged applicants to coordinate with neighbors to reduce impacts.

Mehron Sol Tanzanid, the project designer, responded that the design seeks to preserve on‑site trees where possible, places the ADU on the side opposite the concerned neighbor, and minimizes new windows facing adjacent properties. After reviewing the staff report, plans and public testimony, Williams approved the design‑review application subject to staff’s findings and conditions.

Conditions of approval in the staff report address tree removal/replacement and required construction and landscaping measures; the decision was issued by the zoning administrator on the record and will be implemented through subsequent building permits.