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Carriage House and Blacksmith's Shop December 1, 2008 PLN2007-00062 Page 5 Mr. Bolinger explained that the recommended interior remodel would incur a greater expense to the property owner. The proposed floor plans already exist and to change them would require gutting the inside of the buildings to add the recommended area and taking out the existing laundry room. The concrete slab and all piping inside the slab exist now and the drainage lines are all in place for the sink, washer and dryer. Moving things around would require gutting out the walls. The plumbing would no longer serve any purpose, and the slab would have to be cut to install drain lines – toilet, tub, sinks, washers all would have to be dealt with if the place were to be gutted and redesigned. They preferred not having to remodel the interior of the building, but instead preferred increasing the height of the building. The City's Building and Safety Services Division reviewed the alternative recommending the remodel of the interior space to increase the ground floor living area so that the second floor loft would not be necessary for sleeping purposes, thereby eliminating the need to increase the height of the Blacksmith's structure. The Building Division found that the apartment unit with the interior changes would qualify as a Building Code compliant dwelling unit if the designer and property owner decided to choose the option. Library -Historical Commission On October 16, 2007, the Library -Historical Commission reviewed the proposal and did not object to the plans since there was no significant alteration to the character or appearance of the Carriage House and Blacksmith's Shop. Subsequent to the Library -Historical Commission's review the Fire Department found that the existing second floor window did not meet Code requirements for egress and the interior of the loft needed taller head clearance—it had to be larger. The applicant explored adding a dormer similar to the gardener's cottage, however, the small size of the building could not accommodate an aesthetically correct design that would be balanced, symmetrical, and have appropriate size and scale. On January 15, 2008, the Library -Historical Commission reviewed the proposal to increase the height of the walls and the roof. After its review the Commission found that it could not recommend approval of the proposal. The proposal altered the basic proportion of the building. They indicated a recommendation of approval to increase the height of this building could set precedence where other properties with a historic designation will also want to propose increasing their height or size and altering the proportions of those buildings. The building was not constructed for use as a residence. Summary of Public Outreach Efforts The November 13, 2008 Planning Commission and December 1, 2008 public hearings received normal noticing, which included a legal advertisement in the Daily Review Newspaper, posting of the property on nearby utility poles, notification of property owners within the 300 -foot radius from the subject property, and notification of the Peralta Citizens Homeowners Association. Fiscal Impact Not applicable