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Neighbors say Crescent Avenue townhomes will block sunlight, harm privacy and question noticing
Summary
Multiple residents told the commission the proposed four townhomes at 434 Crescent Avenue would reduce natural light, create direct views into homes and yards (one resident said separation is about 27 feet), and that mailed notice was not received by nearby households; the commission heard these concerns before approving the project.
Several neighbors spoke during the public hearing on July 27 about privacy, sunlight loss and noticing for project 26‑0689 at 434 Crescent Avenue.
Julia Gorski, who said she grew up in the home and lived there for 30 years, told commissioners a three‑story building next to two‑story retirement homes would eliminate natural light and harm residents’ mental and physical health. "Now natural light is not gonna be there," Gorski said, adding that the height difference would force residents to use window coverings and lose daily sunlight. Her mother, Lanisa Gorski, described being retired and unable to move and asked the commission to consider the emotional and financial impact on long‑time residents.
Arkady Gorski provided site measurements and said the wall‑to‑wall distance between the proposed buildings and his home was about 27 feet and that multiple balconies and windows would have direct lines of sight into living rooms and yards. "So our backyard, it's also they have direct view in our private yard too," he said, and he asked whether the city had evaluated direct views and prepared a shadow study. Neighbor Shivani Gupta raised a separate safety concern, saying the developer left trash and combustible material on site for months during earlier renovation work, which she described as a fire hazard.
Project representatives responded that they reduced the overall height from 33 feet to about 31 feet, inset the third‑story windows and provided 42‑inch opaque balcony guardrails to limit direct sight lines. Architect Gordon Wong told the commission they performed a daylight study and found only a limited winter‑solstice impact that "barely touches" an adjacent property. Staff also said mailed notices had been sent to owners and occupants per the city’s noticing policy; some neighbors said they had not received mail notices and presented a petition to the city.
The commission acknowledged the neighbors’ concerns in deliberations but moved to approve the project, citing compliance with zoning, the conservation of a historic resource on the site and state limits on the grounds for denial.
