Planning commission approves second-story addition at 130 San Rafael with conditions

The Belvedere Planning Commission on Tuesday approved design review for a 325-square-foot second-story addition above the garage at 130 San Rafael Avenue, adopting staff-recommended conditions to address privacy, lighting, and landscaping concerns.

The motion to adopt the resolution passed 4–1 after commissioners debated tree removal, view impacts to neighboring properties, and deck size. The conditions include reducing the rear second-story deck to 125 square feet and shifting it to begin at Door 204A; moving the glass railing from the parapet to the edge of the reduced deck; requiring all new exterior lighting to be shielded; and preserving the two strawberry trees closest to the garage while allowing removal of the other two, with the final planting species determined by the chair and staff in the required final landscape plan.

Staff had recommended the conditions in the staff report, saying the plans "do not appear in substantial conformance with municipal code regarding privacy, exterior lighting, and landscaping." The commission discussed whether the proposed rear deck and guardrails required a variance; members settled on conditions that keep the railings and usable deck area inside setback limits so the project can move forward without a variance.

The applicant's architect, Linnea Clark, said the proposal preserves the existing building height and massing relative to neighborhood standards and that the green roof had leaked and was not functioning: "the green roof system is the problem," she told the commission, explaining the proposal to replace it with a deck and planter boxes that would sit on a drained deck assembly.

Chair Seidel closed the meeting after the vote. The design-review resolution and the exact condition language will be incorporated into the project approval documents and reviewed by staff prior to issuance of permits.