Council upholds approval for Ponte Vedra addition, requires taller rear wall and privacy assessment

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council voted unanimously July 21 to deny an appeal and uphold a conditional approval for a two‑story addition at 28337 Ponte Vedra Drive, with amended conditions intended to address neighbors’ privacy concerns.

Staff presented the project as an 800‑square‑foot second‑story addition and a 12‑square‑foot first‑floor entry to a 2,106‑square‑foot single‑story residence, bringing the total to 2,918 square feet. Associate Planner Jeffrey Kim told the council the director initially approved the height variation and site plan review and that the Planning Commission subsequently reviewed the appeal and adopted findings supporting conditional approval after plan revisions lowered roof height and altered window design.

Appellant Jason Steininger argued the staff analysis underestimated the project’s massing by excluding attic space and said the addition would create substantial privacy impacts for adjacent yards. "Privacy is a huge issue to me," Steininger said in public testimony, asking council to overturn the Commission’s approval.

The applicant, Mary Anne Monser, said the family needs additional living space for multigenerational use, explained why a second story in the rear was the most feasible and economical option, and noted the plans already had been revised to address commission concerns, including removing direct attic access.

After deliberation, the council amended the staff‑recommended conditions in three key ways: it allowed the previously required front dormer louvers to be replaced with fixed windows on the street‑facing (east) elevation; it required specified rear‑facing windows to be clear glass as shown in the approved plans but directed the Community Development Director to perform a privacy assessment of the completed second story prior to issuance of the certificate of occupancy; and it added a requirement that, prior to occupancy, the applicant shall increase the shared rear yard fence/wall height to 7 feet using materials and finishes similar to the existing wall.

Under the adopted condition, if the director’s privacy assessment finds an "unreasonable privacy infringement" into the neighboring property at 1928 Galleria Drive, the applicant must install exterior louvered awnings sized as the director deems necessary before the certificate of occupancy is issued.

Planning Commission Chair Eric Knowlman, who attended the meeting, told council the commission had debated neighborhood character and privacy and concluded that with the applicant’s revisions—lowering roof slope, eliminating attic access, and modifying windows—the project met the city’s neighborhood compatibility standards.

Councilmembers voiced differing preferences during deliberations—some said raising the shared wall would be a straightforward mitigation, others favored a director‑led assessment and manufacturer‑tested louver solutions to preserve livability and egress windows. The council ultimately combined both approaches into conditions that require the wall increase and the post‑construction privacy assessment with potential louvers as a mitigation pathway.

The council adopted the resolution upholding the Planning Commission decision by a 5‑0 roll‑call vote. The decision includes detailed, numbered conditions of approval that staff will incorporate into the final permit and into the building and safety submittal requirements.

What's next: The applicant may proceed to final plan submittal and building permits subject to the amended conditions; the Community Development Department will perform the required privacy assessment before the certificate of occupancy and enforce installation of any required mitigation. If either party seeks to alter the council’s conditions later, statutory amendment procedures and fees would apply.