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Commission backs large new home at 135 Belvedere Avenue, grants floor‑area exception and recommends revocable license
Summary
After lengthy review the commission approved demolition, granted an exception to allow an 11,223 sq ft house (where 4,850 is permitted), recommended a revocable license for right‑of‑way improvements and approved design review with conditions including reduced lighting, tree protection, and nonreflective glass.
The Planning Commission voted on several related approvals for 135 Belvedere Avenue: a demolition permit for the existing 3,764 sq ft residence, a floor‑area exception to allow an 11,223 sq ft new house where 4,850 sq ft are permitted, a recommendation that city council approve a revocable license for proposed right‑of‑way improvements, and design‑review approval with conditions.
Staff described extensive site work: the proposal will require substantial cut and fill (staff estimated about 2,500 cubic yards of excavation and 1,700 cubic yards of fill) and the removal of numerous mature trees (staff listed roughly 54 removals including Monterey pines and large eucalyptus). The applicant’s architect, David Kotzebue, said the design places much of the house into the hillside, uses green roofs to reduce perceived mass and lowers the garage below street level. "This is the exact design that was approved in June 2017," the architect told the commission.
Landscape architect John Martin described revisions to reduce visible lighting and increase screening. He said the team removed many in‑stair and handrail lights and proposed downward‑oriented fixtures for safety and to limit uplight toward the bay. Commissioners asked the applicant to minimize lighting visible from offsite and to preserve or protect specific large oak trees where practical. The commission imposed conditions requiring the final lighting and landscape plans be reviewed and approved by the commission chair and planning staff prior to building-permit issuance; it also required tree‑protection measures during construction and nonreflective glass on large rear panels.
The commission moved and approved separate resolutions: demolition (approved), floor‑area exception (approved based on unusual parcel characteristics and siting), a recommendation to city council to approve a revocable license for the right‑of‑way work, and design review with the stated conditions. Commissioners cited the large lot size (formerly three merged parcels), the steeply sloped site and the project’s below‑street siting as factors supporting the floor‑area exception, and they emphasized safeguards on lighting and tree protection.
