Neighbor's appeal puts sprawling tennis club rebuild before the full Council

The Planning Commission's approval of a major overhaul at 1 Larkspur Plaza Drive is headed to the City Council after an appeal from Dr. Howard Ortman. The project, filed by applicant J. Hulett Jones for owner 1 Larkspur Plaza LLC, would demolish every existing structure on the site and replace it with 14 new buildings totaling 10,750 square feet, 8 new tennis courts, and 77 parking spaces.

Getting there required the Commission to grant a design review, a height exception, a fence height exception, a heritage tree removal permit, and a grading permit — a stack of approvals that signals just how much the redevelopment departs from what's normally allowed on the parcel. City staff is recommending the Council adopt Resolution 70/26, affirming the Planning Commission's decision and denying the appeal outright.

With an appellant on record and a project of this scale — new construction on all fronts, tree removal, and height and fencing exceptions — the hearing is likely to draw scrutiny beyond routine consent business. The Council's Tuesday session will determine whether the tennis club transformation moves forward as approved or gets sent back for changes.