3A Public Hearing 2008 0707 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Excerpts of Board of Zoni~zg Adjustments Regular Meeting April X 7, 2008 Minute No. 2008-OS Page 3 of 7 Peter Woolston, 82 Williams Street, stated that he was against the project. In the minutes of the March 6th meeting stated, "To be fair to both the applicants and the opposition, he (Member Gilcrest) agreed that this project should be tabled until the full BZA was in attendance." There was one fewer BZA member at this meeting than was at the last meeting. He had written afour- page document where he pointed out the various areas of the General Plan that proved this project was a violation of the spirit, as well as the letter, of the General Plan. The General Plan, the Housing Plan and the San Leandro Transit Oriented Development Strategy all allowed this project, but did not mandate something like this project. This addition would be larger than his house was and the ridge height was 21 feet. This project was similar to a tear-down, which was prohibited by the General Plan. His house had a permitted addition that consisted of one room of 120 square feet. This project would not protect residential privacy and views and it would not enhance the surrounding properties or protect other homeowners' financial investments. The six by five foot window just four feet from the neighbors' deck at 74 Williams Street did not protect residential privacy. A 21 foot ridge line four feet from the deck would not protect views. Adding 1,342 square feet to an 896 square-foot house did not enhance property values nor did it enhance his investment in his property or for the owners of 74 Williams Street (on the other side of the subject property). Granny additions were allowed to be a maximum of 450 square feet and this project was three times that. It was too big, it was too high and it would impinge upon his neighbor and upon himself. It also impinged on the backyard of everyone one in the neighborhood. Make it one story, make it two rooms. Julia Johnson, 74 Williams Street, was also opposed to this project. The occupancy of two additional bedrooms could very well have an impact on traffic and parking. She displayed photos that showed the front of her house with the front bedroom over the garage, which was the only elevated space in her single-story residence. Her photos showed the original story-poles and the revised story-poles. She stated that her house would not have any sun at 3:00 p.m., if this project were approved. She displayed photos with computerized renderings that showed how the shade from the addition would fall on half her living area and all of the backyard. Computerized renderings showed what the project next door would look like from her dining room window and from her deck. In the winter, the bulk of her heat came from her windows looking out on the subject house. Light came into her kitchen from the windows on that side of the house and the sun on her deck, which would be under shade after 3:00 p.m. Lou Filipovich, 15376 Laverne Drive, stated that Washington Manor and Mulford Gardens had been annexed to the City in 1950. One of those districts was in the San Leandro School District and one was in the San Lorenzo School District. He neither opposed nor agreed with this proposal, because he did not live in that area. However, he did not like it when someone who was talking was cut off by the Chair. He also had not heard anyone speak who owned or who wanted to develop the property. He agreed with the last two speakers, since he would not want a similar project next to his home. His home was less than 12,000 (sic) square feet and it had three bedrooms, two baths, adouble-car garage, a place to park two additional cars off the street and three spaces in front on the street. With similar projects in his area, insurance was now difficult to obtain. When a mix of residents outnumbered the rest of that mix, the area deteriorated instantly. There was an overabundance of warehouses in the city with 60 to 70 percent of them vacant, which was not good for those areas. Modifications should be made to the design of this project to protect the properties of the last two speakers.