A 4,526-square-foot rebuild wins approval on Riviera Circle, 18 inches shorter and still contested

At 334 Riviera Circle, the Planning Commission approved design review to demolish an existing one-story home of roughly 2,580 square feet and replace it with a 4,526-square-foot two-story residence. The project, from applicant Eric Leighton for owner Josh Rufer (Project No. PLN25-047), had been continued from the May 26 meeting and came back revised: plate heights dropped about 18 inches total and the gable ends were changed to hips, bringing the ridge from roughly 29.5 feet to 28 feet. Staff recommended approval subject to findings, conditions and a Class 3 CEQA exemption.

“There is still a compromise to the privacy, to the light, to the views, to the openness... this house absolutely has no consideration. Its design doesn't contemplate anybody's real needs except for its owner.”— a next-door neighbor at 334 Riviera Circle, in public comment

Commissioner Brock walked through the math on the redesign: "So what I was trying to struggle with is the plates dropped a foot and a half, but the roof slope changed to 5 and 12, so by my calculations it's a foot below on the ridge." The owner framed it as a family question. "The house we got is just a little too small for our family growth and that's why we're proposing this project," Rufer said. "I think we made reasonable concessions."

Public comment split. Keith Pollock of 165 Riviera Circle said, "I think I've seen the plans. The house seems reasonable... I think it'll bring value to the neighborhood, and I'm here to support it," and Peter Andrew Skvich of 28 Via Labresa also spoke in favor. Steve Horn of 321 Riviera Circle did not: "The revision submitted is not sufficient for the neighborhood. The mass, height and lot coverage are excessive." The next-door neighbor told the commission the changes did not solve the problem. Others raised water displacement from reduced permeable area, a lost Mount Tam view, and an upper story looking down onto a deck at 340 Riviera Circle.

The commission approved the project 4-0, with one commissioner recused as a neighbor. Commissioner Liam said he could make the findings but noted the commission had asked for two feet of height reduction and got 18 inches. Chair Swisser said he could support the project and was sorry for those impacted.

Roof deck comes off at 25 Onyx Court after neighbors describe years of noise and short-term rentals

At 25 Onyx Court, owner Armand Ruiz sought design review for a new covered porch, an enlarged bay window and a 325-square-foot roof deck above an existing ADU, plus a floor area ratio exception allowing a FAR of 0.362 (2,869 square feet) where 0.297 (2,395 square feet) is permitted. The added floor area comes from converting a crawl space into an office and expanding the bay window (Project No. PLN26-009, architect Juancho "Wancho" C. Isidoro Jr.). Staff recommended approval with findings, conditions and a Class 1 CEQA exemption.

"Our goal is to optimize the existing space with the exception of that front porch and the big window," Ruiz told the commission. But neighbors used the hearing to air a longer grievance. Mara Pacetti of 21 Onyx Street said construction noise had been near continuous for years and that the ADU had been used as a consistent short-term Airbnb rental, urging denial. A neighbor named Lauren asked the commission to reject both the FAR exception and the roof deck, saying the property already exceeds the FAR limit and still functions like a revolving rental. Onyx Street neighbor Derek Brown described loud music and noise from the property. Larkspur resident James Holmes, on Zoom, argued roof decks magnify the impact of second stories and called this one unnecessary.

Ruiz said an early mistake had been corrected as soon as the city issued a warning and that the property now complies with the 30-day minimum rental rule. Mid-hearing, the architect offered to drop the deck outright, telling commissioners they were willing to accept a condition of approval removing the roof deck above the ADU. Chair Swisser moved to bar the roof deck while approving the FAR exception.

The commission approved the project 5-0 with a condition requiring removal of the roof deck.

Almenar Drive addition approved as-is after a fight over five windows

At 386 N Almenar Drive, the commission approved design review for a 648-square-foot addition to an existing 2,814-square-foot home — 130 square feet at the lower level and 520 square feet at the second story, at the rear. The applicant is architect Alex Chen for owners Kevin and Hana Schwaba (Project No. PLN26-013). Staff recommended approval with findings, conditions and a Class 1 CEQA exemption, with no required window changes.

“We believe that the current plans do not meet this condition and instead create a significant and unreasonable loss or interference with the privacy in our backyard... the number of windows which face into our yard have increased more than 100%, from 2 to 5.”— Kita Whitten Keller, 378 N Almenar Drive

"We love it here. We want to grow. We want to stay here," owner Kevin Schwaba said. "That's really what this is about." Neighbor Lisa Gleby agreed the project would not harm the block: "I don't believe this project creates any meaningful negative impact on our neighborhood. The plans do not affect our property's privacy, views, access, or enjoyment of our home."

The downhill neighbors at 378 N Almenar saw it differently. "We believe that the current plans do not meet this condition and instead create a significant and unreasonable loss or interference with the privacy in our backyard," said Kita Whitten Keller, adding that windows facing their yard rise from two to five. Chen countered that the increase was 51 percent, not 100, amounting to 31 additional square feet of glazing. The owners said they had shifted the dining room window toward mature hedging and would install window shades; Commissioner Brock floated raising the dining room sill.

In the end the commission declined to impose window conditions — "I don't want to add in conditions of frosting windows, 18 inches up or anything like that," Commissioner Natasha said — and approved the project 5-0 as presented in the staff report.