Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Privacy Massing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Neighbors press privacy and massing concerns; 508 Gerona site plan continued
Summary
At a contested public hearing, neighbors urged removal or redesign of second‑floor features at 508 Gerona Avenue over privacy, shadowing and construction concerns; the commission continued the site plan (SPR24‑084) 4‑0 and asked the applicant to work with neighbors and staff on window treatments, deck size and landscape screening.
The Design Review Commission on June 22 continued the application for a new two‑story single‑family home at 508 Gerona Avenue (planning case SPR24‑084) after extensive public comment from nearby residents listing privacy, light/shadow, massing and potential construction impacts.
Applicant representative Kevin Lai told the commission the design meets city standards and offers concessions: he said the owner "is willing to change 2 windows, the 2 lower windows in the staircase to translucent window" and proposed reducing the second‑floor deck from roughly 10x16 feet to something in the 7x7–7x10 range to increase distance from the side property line. Neighbors pressed for stronger measures: Colin Yuen and Sean Kim, both immediate north neighbors, asked that the north‑facing deck be removed or conditioned with a permanent opaque privacy screen and that a continuous evergreen hedge of approximately 8 feet be planted, irrigated and maintained before final occupancy.
City staff and the city architect confirmed the project complies with R‑1 development standards and cited CEQA Guideline 15303 class 3 (new construction) for exemption. Commissioners recommended additional design refinements — eliminating or obscuring stairway windows (or replacing with skylights), performing a solar/shadow study, and improving landscape plans and materials boards — before final action. The commission voted 4‑0 to continue the case to a date uncertain so the applicant can work with neighbors and resubmit revised plans.
