Neighbors press board on privacy, parking and view impacts; 2647 Glen Eyrie continued

The Design Review Board on Nov. 6 continued the application for a remodel and accessory dwelling at 2647 Glen Eyrie Street after extended public testimony and board questioning.

Staff presented the project as a through-lot remodel with upper-level additions and referenced prior ADU clearances from 2023. Applicant Warren Hutchison described design intent and said some elements previously cleared would appear on plans for reference. Neighbors objected to the scale of the proposed roof deck and the size of a covered trellis, raised concerns that the expansion would block views and erode privacy and argued prior ADU clearances might have expired.

"The proposed deck is much larger than the existing one…this project clearly exceeds that limit," said Murray Gallagher, a neighbor, urging a full environmental and planning review instead of relying on a categorical CEQA exemption. Jim Clapp and other residents said the new deck and the potential removal of mature trees would eliminate long-standing views and expose living spaces to direct sightlines.

Board members pressed staff and the applicant on several technical points: whether previously cleared ADU plans remained valid under the most recent ADU ordinance; why certain garage and ADU elements were shown as references rather than on the plan set; whether removal of on-site parking constituted a nexus triggering CDP findings about impacts to visitor-serving facilities and public parking; and whether landscaping plans addressed fire-safety trimming and privacy screening.

Staff said it had reviewed the ADU components under the current ordinance and found them compliant for the purposes of the CDP hearing, while acknowledging neighbors' concerns about expired clearances. Board members said they could not make required CDP findings without clearer evidence on massing in the neighborhood and the parking implications of converting garage space to an ADU. The board required the applicant to provide temporary staking to show massing, a full landscape plan that addresses privacy and defensible-space trimming, and a clearer parking layout. The applicant asked for a continuance; the board voted 5-0 to continue the item to a date uncertain.

Next steps: the applicant must return with staking, updated plans and staff verification that ADU/JADU elements comply with the current ordinance before the board can proceed to deliberation and a final vote.