Commission approves design review, demolition and a floor-area exception for 419 Golden Gate Avenue with conditions

The Belvedere Planning Commission approved design review, a demolition permit and an exception to the total floor area limit for 419 Golden Gate Avenue after the applicant revised plans to reduce height and remove parking spaces in response to neighbor concerns.

Applicant RJ Suko, who identified himself as both the property owner and project architect, walked commissioners through revisions that reduced overall height, removed parking on the left side of the entry and tightened window glazing to address privacy concerns. Suko said he had carried out neighborhood outreach: “I 1st started with, intro letters to the whole block on Golden Gate Avenue,” he told the commission, and noted that several changes were made after meetings with neighbors.

Neighbors who spoke at the hearing praised the applicant’s responsiveness. John Owen, who lives across the street, said the removal of the left-side parking resolved his primary objection: “We are removing that objection, and we can support the construction of this home subject, of course, to your approvals.” Several neighbors also asked the commission to require construction-management measures and framing-height certification to ensure the building matches approved elevations.

Commissioners debated whether the parcel met the code’s required findings for an exception to total floor area; Commissioner Jamala said she could not find that the necessary criteria had been satisfied and expressed concern about massing and privacy, but a majority concluded the revised design, neighbor support and planned mitigation justified granting the exception. The commission voted to approve the design review and demolition permits with conditions that include a final landscape and exterior lighting plan, removal of specified skylights and a requirement that a licensed surveyor certify framing heights before finish work proceeds.