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Council approves retaining-wall design at 62 Alcatraz with concrete tint condition
Summary
Belvedere council approved a modified design review for a retaining wall at 62 Alcatraz Ave, adding a requirement that the concrete be tinted or given a color treatment to better blend with plantings. The motion passed 3–1 after council members questioned whether planning could have handled the change administratively.
The Belvedere City Council on March 9 approved a design-review modification for a retaining wall at 62 Alcatraz Avenue, adding a condition that the concrete include a tint or other color treatment to better integrate plantings and reduce the wall’s visual impact.
Council member Pat said a tint would help the design meet the code’s intent and suggested the change could have been handled earlier by planning staff. "I looked online a little bit, and there's some colors, beigey colors, you know, light beigey colors that might be nice, nicer than just the, you know, concrete," Pat said, urging the council to require a color element to the concrete and leave the exact choice to planning staff.
The applicant for 62 Alcatraz said several approaches were workable and that they would coordinate with planning. "We could either do a colored concrete or do a stain on the concrete," the applicant said, offering to work with staff on the final solution.
Council members debated process efficiency: some said small design details like tinting should be resolved by staff or in the planning commission to avoid repeated appeals. Still, a motion to approve the retaining-wall repair and replacement with a staff-approved tint condition carried 3–1.
The council did not receive public comment on this item. Planning staff will review and approve the specific color or staining approach in a staff-related review as the motion directs.
