Planning Commission grants variance at 87 Eastfield Drive to waive barn set-aside

The Planning Commission voted to approve a variance allowing a 112-square-foot interior addition at 87 Eastfield Drive without designating a stable and corral set-aside area. Planning staff told commissioners the lot’s steep slopes, roadway easements and tight setbacks make it infeasible to provide the required set-aside.

Planning staff summarized the proposal as an interior remodel and small addition to a 1,906-square-foot residence originally constructed in 1953 and described the property as “legal nonconforming” because it encroaches into the front and rear setbacks. Staff said the municipal code requires a set-aside or stable area for discretionary approvals but that, on this lot, “there’s no feasible location for a stable and corral that would be sufficiently distanced from the primary residence and outside of the roadway easements.” The presentation noted notice to property owners within a 1,000-foot radius and that staff had received no written public comment; the project was found exempt from CEQA.

Chair (speaking during deliberations) stressed the commission treats such variances as exceptional, saying it is rare to relieve a property owner of the obligation to provide a barn and corral. Planning staff told the commission the variance “merely relieves the current property owner of the obligation to identify a set aside.” Commissioners debated practical constraints — slope, easements and the 35-foot buffer from a primary residence — and agreed the lot lacks a viable barn location.

A commissioner moved and the commission approved Resolution 2026-12 by roll call. The record shows the resolution was approved by the members present; the vote tally was recorded as unanimous among attending commissioners.