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DRC 08-07-14 Design Review Committee August 7,2014 Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 777-3308 APPROVED MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE HELD ON August 7,2014 ROLL CALL Committee Members present: Winnie Lee, Chairperson Alan Takahashi, Commissioner Committee Members absent none Staff present: George Schroeder Staff absent: None APPROVAL OF MINUTES: June 19,2014 Minutes of the June 19, 2014 Design Review Committee meeting were approved as written WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS: None POSTPONEMENTS/REMOVAL FROM CALENDAR: None ORAL COMMUNICATION: None CONSENT CALENDAR: None PUBLIC HEARING: 1. Application No.(s): R-2014-23,RM-2014-17, EXC-2014-08 Applicant: Diony T.Bugay(Chopra residence) Location: 11204 Mt. Crest Drive Two-Story Permit to allow a 1,564 square foot first floor and a 311 square foot second floor addition to an existing 4,080 square foot, two story single family residence; Minor Residential Permit to allow two new second story balconies; Residential Exception to allow a 17', 6" first floor front yard setback where 20' is required Design Review Committee decision final unless appealed. Staff Member Schroeder explained that the application has been referred to the Design Review Committee because of the Residential Exception application. Part of the proposed addition includes a garage which encroaches 2', 6" into the required 20' front yard setback. The intent of the 20' setback is to ensure for enough room for parking, provide adequate light and air between buildings and the street and to help reduce the visual mass of the residence. When the garage door doesn't open onto the street, h 2 Design Review Committee August 7,2014 the City usually allows a 15' side yard setback. This flag lot is unusual in that the front yard lot line slants inward approximately 40degrees in rather than being parallel with the street. Due to the slanted front lot line and the way the existing is residence is situated on the lot, the proposed garage will need to be treated as though it has a side facing entrance. It is not visible from the street and there is adequate additional parking. The Two-Story and Minor Residential permit meet all the requirements of the City's Municipal Code requirements. A certified Arborist has reviewed the plans and has requested to have additional trees planted on site to meet the privacy screening requirements. This requirement has been incorporated into the draft resolution. Commissioner Takahashi asked for clarification as to the species and number of trees to be planted. Chair Lee wanted to know if the additional tree requirement was because of the proposed new balconies. Staff member Schroeder explained that the balconies as well as some new windows created the need for additional privacy screening even though it is an existing two story residence. Commissioner Takahashi then asked to see the elevation site plans. Chair Lee and Commissioner Takahashi asked about the setback requirement for the garage. Staff Member Schroeder explained that the 20 foot setback is applied to rectangular shaped lots where when facing the house, someone sees a large massed structure. The 15 foot setback for side entry garages is applied as the structure someone is looking at is visually smaller and has less of an impact. The applicant said that they are looking forward to the moving into their new residence and raising their family. He thanked George for all his help. He has reviewed the conditions of approval and has no objections. A neighbor, Rob Karr, asked about how long the construction would take as all of the surrounding neighbors are retired and home during the day but was not opposed to the project. Staff member Schroeder went over the construction hours and mitigation requirements. Another neighbor, Lanny Ng, wanted to know if a new fence could be installed in place of the wire one that now exists in order to reduce noise and add privacy. A neighbor, Steve Lew, spoke to the concerns about noise, dust and privacy. He stated that his house is extremely close to the project site. He would like construction to start later in the day since he works from home and doesn't want the background noise to affect his calls. He would also like to have a solid material fence installed for privacy. Staff member Schroeder said that the City does not require fences. If property owners install fences, the City will review the fence for placement and height, but cannot compel a property owner to install one. He encouraged the neighbors to have a private discussion regarding that. The construction hours have been established in order to allow the most daylight hours to get the work done. The Building Department has a Best Management and Practices sheet the lists noise and dust mitigations that must be adhered to during construction. He said that some construction sites have a dedicated person who can be worked with to resolve complaints. He again encouraged the neighbors to communicate with each other regarding when construction will begin and how long it will take. Chair Lee asked the neighbors if they had spoken to the applicant regarding their concerns prior to the meeting. Ms Ng said she had not. She came to the meeting to discuss it because it is a privacy issue. She was asked if she would be willing to help pay for a new fence. She said she would wait to see how temporary fence works to keep the dust and noise down and would speak to the applicant after that going further. Staff member Schroeder suggested a site specific Construction Management Plan could be developed to help enforce the required mitigations. The Committee discussed what sort of language could be incorporated into a Management Plan and what sort of recommendations could be included in the conditions of approval. Commissioner Takahashi spoke to the increased aesthetic for the neighborhood with the improvement of the existing house. He acknowledged that the Committee could not require a fence, but asked that the neighbors take advantage of the temporary fence to make sure that a solid permanent fence is really 3 Design Review Committee August 7,2014 what they all want. He is in favor of a simple site specific Construction Management Plan that outlines ways to minimize disturbances. He feels that over regulating the construction facilitates could prolong the project time line and create an enforcement issue. Chair Lee concurred with Commissioner Takahashi's comments. She encouraged the neighbors to work together on the fence issue. She would like the draft resolutions to be modified to. incorporate the need for a site specific Construction Management Plan. Both Committee members felt that the conditions applied to the application for approval were sound and that the signage would not be a nuisance to the neighbors. They supported Staff's recommendations. MOTION: Commissioner Takahashi moved to approve R-2014-23, RM-214-17 and EXC-2014-08 with the addition of a site specific Management Plan SECOND: Chair Lee ABSENT: none ABSTAIN:none VOTE: 2-0-0 OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: None Respectfully submitted: &W I A02� Beth Ebben Administrative Clerk