New house at 26 Baltimore approved 4-0, with frosted windows and a stepped-back fence

At 26 Baltimore Avenue, the Planning Commission finished a continued hearing and approved demolition of the existing house and construction of a 3,262-square-foot two-story residence with an attached 691-square-foot ADU and a 356-square-foot garage, plus below-grade space. The package required a long list of approvals: design review, a slope use permit for 400 cubic yards of cut and fill, a variance for 40.4% lot coverage where 40% is the maximum, an FAR exception to allow 0.49 floor area ratio where 0.4 is allowed, and fence height exceptions for an 8-foot fence on the eastern property line (6 feet max) and a 6-foot fence along the Monte Vista frontage (3'6" max). Staff recommended approval subject to findings and conditions, under a Class 2 CEQA exemption.

“So it's really going to be in our face and we look at it out of all of our windows. It's just kind of unfair.”— Frank Lobon, neighbor at 16 Baltimore, on the fence

Neighbors focused on two things: windows and the fence. Frank Lobon of 16 Baltimore told the commission the east-facing windows would look directly down into his backyard, dining area and living room, and that they were objectionably large. He was blunter about the fence line and its metal fascia.

Carrie Bogardis of 32 Monte Vista said the structure felt ominous and looming from the sidewalk, and another neighbor — a former house designer — said it was ironic to celebrate the neighborhood's heritage with a plaque while approving this, urging the city to write more informative design guides. Architect Jared Pulsky said the team had already responded to earlier direction: "we were told please bring your FAR back into conformance not including the ADU square footage, which we did," and offered obscure glass on the two east-facing corner windows. Commissioner Swisser said he disliked the fence intensely, invoking the adage that good fences make good neighbors.

The motion passed 4-0 (Hull, Wagstaff, Campbell, Swisser; one commissioner absent), with conditions that the two east-facing corner windows be frosted or otherwise obscured and that the Monte Vista fence be stepped back two feet, with more transparency in its top two feet. "I move to approve application number 24-061 at 26 Baltimore Avenue subject to the condition of frosting the two east-facing windows or otherwise obscuring... and stepping back the fence two feet with increased light and space in the top two feet," the chair said in making the motion.

Commission recommends looser SB 9 rules, because the state now requires it

The commission voted 4-0 to recommend the City Council adopt an ordinance rewriting Chapter 18.100, Larkspur's rules for SB 9 two-unit developments and urban lot splits. The driver is new state law: as staff put it, the state "can't apply any more restrictive regulations to these subdivisions and new home developments than apply to any other single family development." The draft folds in the city's T3 objective design standards — porches and stoops, wall height limits, and a 15-foot front setback instead of the standard 20 feet — and would exempt certain ministerial housing projects from appeal and rehearing under Chapter 2.50.

Public comment came from Matt Papovich by Zoom, who said his grandparents moved out from the city in 1959 and bought a house for $35,000, and that the median Larkspur home price today is a little over $2 million; he asked the commission to keep families like his in mind. One commissioner worried about street parking, noting the rules require only one space per residence and none within a half mile of transit. The chair said the city is in danger of losing people it wants living here, and that good things can come from creating more housing units.

The motion found the amendments consistent with the General Plan and recommended Council approval. Commissioners also flagged a cross-reference error on page 7, in section 18.100.040, that should point to 18.100.070.