At 5 Ranch Lane, a second story wins approval — but the commission's architect abstains

At 5 Ranch Lane (APN 021-172-20), owner Gabriel Dunn and designer Nora Frei asked for Design Review to add a 638-square-foot second-floor addition to an existing 2,285-square-foot house and attached garage, expand the front porch and entry, and change windows on several elevations. The new second story would match the height of the existing one, and the resulting floor area ratio would be 0.39, just under the 0.40 permitted. Staff recommended approval, with conditions on HVAC placement and landscaping compliance.

“I'm going to abstain in hopes that as you go along, you'll look at this and see what's available or what's a possibility.”— Commissioner Wagstaff, declining to vote on the 5 Ranch Lane addition

Dunn told the commission his family bought the house in March and needs both space and repairs, including failing windows. "We've owned Five Ranch Lane since March... super excited about Larkspur, super excited about the location of the house," he said. Frei said she designed the addition to read as part of the original house, walked through distances to neighboring homes — roughly 16.5 to 24 feet to the north, about 32 feet to the south and 34 feet to the east — and said neighbors were shown the plans and raised no objections.

The friction came from the dais, not the neighborhood. Commissioner Wagstaff, an architect, liked the floor plan but not the exterior: "It's very boxy... it'd be nice to see some detail in the house when you have this opportunity," he said, suggesting dormers or stepping an element back. Commissioners Campbell and Hull said the addition matched the existing residence and fit the neighborhood, and Commissioner Chalmers said she saw room for improvement but would rather the applicants work with staff than start over. Chair Swisher acknowledged Wagstaff's expertise but said he did not want the Planning Commission redesigning the house.

The project was approved 4-0-1, with Wagstaff abstaining.

Commission looks at penalties for unpermitted work — and decides Larkspur's are enough

Commissioner Chalmers asked for the item after the commission's discussion of the Three Heather Way case, wanting to understand what the city actually does when construction starts without approvals. Community Development Director Semonian and Chief Building Official Bill Hansell walked through the toolkit: increased fees, stop-work orders, administrative citations, liens and special assessments. Staff described Three Heather Way as an extreme example, where work went far beyond the approved scope and inspections were never called, producing a citation of more than $17,000. A lien tied to the case is headed to the City Council's next meeting; as staff put it, "There's a lean coming up at the next city council meeting... a lean, they might just live in their house until it sells and then eventually we'd get the funds."

“It is at the end of the day a life safety issue and also a fairness issue between one person being proactive and getting a permit and somebody else not following the rules.”— Chief Building Official Bill Hansell

Hansell put the enforcement volume in perspective. "We're talking about 1,200 permits roughly a year," he said. "We have about 110 active violation cases where it's gotten to that point that it's actually a code violation." Asked directly whether he saw a problem with the current approach — "So you don't really feel this is an issue then, that there's nothing wrong with the way we're dealing with it?" one commissioner said — staff held the line.

There was no formal action. The consensus was that existing penalties and policies are adequate, and the commission recommended no changes to staff.

268 square feet, an elevator, and an FAR three times the limit at 129 La Cuesta

At 129 La Cuesta (APN 070-321-09), owner Jennifer Tiu sought Design Review, a Floor Area Ratio Exception and a Slope Use Permit to add 268 square feet — 134 in the basement, 52 on the first floor and 82 on the second — on the eastern elevation, 22 feet 10 inches above grade. The purpose is an elevator serving all levels. Because the lot slopes, the numbers are dramatic: the proposal would bring the house to a 0.21 FAR (4,213 square feet) where 0.062 (1,245 square feet) is the maximum permitted, and the grading exceeds 25 cubic yards, triggering the slope permit. Staff recommended approval with a Class 1 CEQA exemption.

“Near as I could tell, nobody's going to see this.”— a commissioner, on the visibility of the 129 La Cuesta addition

Project architect Richard Perlstein said Central Marin Fire Department had required removal of trees and landscaping at the site, that his client satisfied those requirements, and that she looks forward to replanting with fire-wise landscaping and installing the elevator. Commissioner Chalmers asked about a shaded area on the plans — rock and soil, the architect said — and Commissioner Hull asked whether the addition would be visible to anyone; the architect said it would not.

No neighbors objected. Chalmers called it minor work with no neighborhood impact and "a good example of why the City will be considering modification to the FAR exception." Commissioner Campbell said he looked forward to the day the commission no longer has to consider FAR exceptions on sloping lots, and Chair Swisher said he supported increasing accessibility. The project was approved 5-0.