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Council approves waiver of underground‑utility requirement for ADU at Cornuda Avenue after lengthy appeal
Summary
The council considered an appeal by a property owner who said plan-check notes and contractor communications did not make the undergrounding requirement clear. After debate about plan records, valuation thresholds and enforcement consistency, the council approved the waiver for 15503 Cornuda Avenue (4–1).
The council reviewed an appeal by the owner of 15503 Cornuda Avenue seeking a waiver of the municipal requirement that overhead utility lines be undergrounded for projects with valuation over $50,000. Staff explained the code sections and general exemptions; the project’s building‑permit valuation was recorded at $90,000 and public‑works plan‑check records indicated undergrounding was required.
Property owner Richard Weldon described a protracted ADU project, contractor problems, lack of clearly retained public‑works correction records at permit issuance, and Edison’s guidance to reconfigure service drops to satisfy safety concerns. Weldon said he completed the unit and received final inspection signoffs pending public‑works signoff; he asked for a waiver because the work had been completed and the cost of retroactive undergrounding was high.
Councilmembers debated record keeping, the valuation threshold for the requirement, and procedural fairness for property owners; several members said code language and staff corrections had been provided in initial plan check. After discussion, the council voted 4–1 to approve the appeal/waiver, enabling staff to finalize the permit process and directing staff to return with any needed clarifications to the municipal code.
Council also asked staff to prepare a study and present code updates so similar disputes are resolved earlier in the permitting process.
