Owners Want to Bulldoze and Rebuild the Larkspur Plaza Tennis Complex — Commission Gets First Look Aug. 11

The week's one big item is also its most consequential: owner 1 Larkspur Plaza LLC and applicant J. Hulett Jones are asking the city to let them tear down everything standing at 1 Larkspur Plaza Drive and start fresh, with 14 new structures totaling 10,750 square feet, eight new tennis courts, and 77 parking spaces.

It's not a simple design-review case. The application bundles four separate discretionary asks: a Height Exception so part of the new clubhouse roof can exceed the city's limit, a Fence Height Exception for over-height vegetative barriers, a Heritage Tree Removal Permit to take out six heritage-sized trees, and a Grading Permit for more than 1,000 cubic yards of earthwork.

As of this week's agenda posting, staff hadn't published a recommendation and no public comment had come in yet — this goes before the Planning Commission for the very first time on Aug. 11. With height, fencing, tree removal and grading all riding on one hearing, expect a long night, and expect neighbors' reactions to matter: this is the kind of project where commission direction on any one piece could reshape the whole design.