At 9 Murray Lane, a 1,814 sq ft addition wins approval as a neighbor fights for her privacy oak

At 9 Murray Lane — a house dated to 1866/1882 and described from the dais as the oldest place in Larkspur — the Planning Commission approved design review for an 1,814 sq ft first-story addition made up of 1,199 sq ft of living space and a 615 sq ft two-car garage, plus a 49 sq ft addition to an existing storage building. An 899 sq ft ADU was included in the packet for context only. Staff recommended approval subject to findings, conditions, and Class 1 and 31 CEQA exemptions.

“That's my property. So they need to get approval. We needed to have a discussion about that.”— neighbor Lara Costello, during public comment on 9 Murray Lane

The contested piece was trees. Staff supported removal of two heritage oaks standing in the footprint of the addition, citing the fire-truck turnaround and the garage footprint. The commission approved the project 3-0 (Wagstaff, Hall, Swisser), including heritage tree removal — but excluded tree number 12, which revised plans call for retaining.

Architect Tom Psky told the commission the project had already been through a round of review: "This is our second round of this project... it needs work, definitely needs work, and the historic preservation board was very helpful. We followed all the recommendations." The project's civil engineer, Glenn Darth, said the drainage system was designed to Marin County stormwater retention standards and includes two bio-retention basins.

Neighbor Lara Costello pushed back on both counts, calling drainage a serious issue that shouldn't be taken lightly and objecting to removal of the coast live oak she said is the only tree giving her privacy. She also asserted that work involved her property and required her approval and a conversation first. Commissioner Swisser said he was concerned about drainage claims raised regarding 601 College but was trusting the applicant's calculations; Commissioner Hall said she was glad the addition stayed one story. The approval is subject to a 10-day appeal period.

Only three of the commission's five members were present.

Owner of fire-damaged 1937 Spanish Revival on Lomna Vista gets green light to rebuild

At 8 Lomna Vista Avenue, the commission approved design review to rebuild the fire-damaged rear of a 1937 Spanish Revival residence. The plans infill a 30 sq ft area behind the garage, add a new rear staircase from the roof terrace down to grade, and convert the flat roof over the breakfast nook to a hipped roof.

“I really just want to put this house back... I didn't want to add a lot of square footage or do anything different. I just want to rebuild it.”— applicant Al Douglas, 8 Lomna Vista Avenue

Applicant Al Douglas kept his pitch short: "I really just want to put this house back... I didn't want to add a lot of square footage or do anything different. I just want to rebuild it."

Staff recommended approval with findings, conditions, and Class 1 and 31 CEQA exemptions. Commissioner Hall said she has always liked the house and expects the work to fit in well; Commissioner Wagstaff called the hipped roof an improvement and the design a nice one. The vote was 3-0 (Hall, Wagstaff, Swisser), with two commissioners absent, subject to a 10-day appeal period.