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Carriage House and Blacksmith's Shop December 1, 2008 PLN2007-00062 Page 2 Planning Commission and is advisory to the City Council. The Planning Commission also recommends against increasing the height of the Blacksmith's Shop. The Commission recommended that the interior of the Blacksmith's Shop be re-examined for efficiency as a one- story unit by enlarging the living area into the common laundry room, a portion of the new storage room and the removal of the circular staircase in the center of the unit. Library -Historical and Planning Commissions' Recommendations: At separate meetings, the Library -Historical Commission and the Planning Commission reviewed the proposed plans, and both Commissions recommend that the City Council deny the request to increase the height of the Blacksmith's Shop. Both commissions recommend approval of the proposal to convert the Carriage House into a rental unit and to construct a new storage room addition at the rear of the Blacksmith's Shop to replace the dilapidated storage shed. Both Commissions also had no objection to converting the Blacksmith's Shop so long as the rental unit did not increase the height of the structure or change the proposed building envelope. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends that the City Council review the records of the Library -Historical and Planning Commissions, open the public hearing, consider all of the facts and options, and make a determination to either allow the applicant to raise the building height of the Blacksmith's Shop or to remodel the interior of the building and provide the required living space without increasing the height of the building. Thus, the recommended motion would be either of the following: 1. To approve the proposed conversion of the Carriage House into a rental unit, to construct a new storage room addition at the rear of the Blacksmith's Shop to replace the dilapidated storage shed, and to approve conversion of the Blacksmith's Shop into a rental unit and raising the building height of the Blacksmith's Shop 14 -inches to accommodate emergency egress and head clearance for the second floor loft for sleeping purposes; or 2. To approve the proposed conversion of the Carriage House into a rental unit, to construct a new storage room addition at the rear of the Blacksmith's Shop to replace the dilapidated storage shed, and to approve conversion of the Blacksmith's Shop into a rental unit without increasing the height of the building. BACKGROUND • In March 2008, the conversion of the Gardner's Cottage to an office was completed and finaled by the City's Building and Safety Services Division. Dr. Friend, the applicant and property owner, uses it specifically for her own practice. • The ground floor of the Carriage House would be a small studio unit having approximately 360 square feet, and includes a kitchen, bathroom and living room that would also be the sleeping area. As in studio apartments, the sleeping amenity could be a futon, fold -a -away sofa bed, or a Murphy bed. The interior contains an existing second floor loft, accessed by a circular staircase; however the space is not proposed to be used for sleeping but light storage.