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PROJECT DESCRIPTION The project is a two story addition to an existing two bedroom house at 908 Dowling. The addition would entail a family room and half bathroom on the first floor immediately adjacent to the kitchen of the existing house, a stairway, and a master bedroom and master bathroom on the second floor. The current house is approx;r~,ateIy 1000 syutare fcret nn a lot with an area of 4800 sguiare fret Window design, roof orientation, and stucco would match the existing structure. SUPPORTING STATEMENT The current house is a 2 -bedroom house, occupied by my daughter and son-in-law, Richard and Dara Garcia, live there with their 4 children. The purpose of the addition is to add a master bedroom, master bathroom, family room, and half bathroom. The family room is intended as an extension of the kitchen, extending the dining area within the kitchen and providing play space for the children so that the living room and dining room can again serve those purposes. In our view, the design challenge for the site is finding a balance between the December 21, 2005, guidelines that encourage integration of a second story addition, and other design standards in the ordinance that provide for a design that de- emphasizes the visual mass, and honors the existing architecture of the structure. We believe that there are three compelling design reasons that integrating the addition over the existing structure would not be appropriate. First, the existing architectural style of the house is of a small bungalow, with a ridge peak that runs east -west at about the middle of the house. Integrating the proposed addition over the existing structure would involve moving the second floor into the area where the roofline falls to the rear of the structure, dramatically changing the lines and architectural concept of the existing structure. While the bungalow design does not have the same charm as many of the "storybook" houses in San Leandro, it has its own logic and aesthetic, and altering the lines of the house so significantly would not be true to that logic. While articulation is an important element of the prevalent storybook style in many neighborhoods in San Leandro, forcing it onto a bungalow without consideration of the existing style of the bungalow would be artifice, not appropriate and consistent architecture. Second, a remodel that brought the second story to the center line of the existing structure would maximize, not minimize or de-emphasize the mass of the home. As proposed, the second story would be nearly 70 feet from the sidewalk in front of the house, and partially screened by the existing rooflines of the structure. Integrating it over the structure would not merely alter the existing architectural aesthetic, it would bring the mass significantly closer, and raise its profile from the street. It would thereby conflict with the existing design of all of the two story additions on the block. Third, a key design objective for the project is to have a family room that is an extension of the kitchen and a gateway into the backyard. This is critical for raising children; they are visible from the kitchen in both the family room and the backyard. Preserving as much of the backyard is also an important consideration, particularly given increasing PLN2011-00012 Property Owner Supporting Statement Provided with Plan Submittal