Burbank City Council allows homeowners to build house despite opposition from residents

Though many residents thought a proposed single-family home would be too large and incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood, the Burbank City Council decided plans for the project are within city code.

Council members voted 4-0 during a meeting on Tuesday to deny two appeals and allow homeowners Vahan Karaoghlanian and Ashkhen Ashley Gambourian to build a 2,984-square-foot house with a 1,600-square-foot basement at 1075 Grinnell Drive.

The project was initially approved by Patrick Prescott, the city’s community development director, on Dec. 20, 2016, but was appealed this past January by resident Thomas Bowman, who lives near the property. Bowman argued that the two-car garage in front of the home is not consistent with the surrounding neighborhood, and the 1,600-square-foot basement should be factored into the property’s floor-area ratio.

Because the project was submitted before the City Council’s approval of its current single-family home guidelines and ordinance, which were approved Jan. 24, the project was subject to the Interim Development Control Ordinance.

Under the interim ordinance, the floor-area ratio of the house had to be no more than 0.4. Alfonso Hernandez, an assistant planner for the city, said the floor-area ratio does not include the square footage of the basement, resulting in the proposed house having a floor-area ratio of 0.399.

Bowman’s appeal was heard by the Burbank Planning Board on May 8, and board members denied the appeal and upheld Prescott’s decision on the project.

The Planning Board’s decision was then appealed by two parities — resident Brian Forquer, who also lives near the property, and residents Sue Cleereman and James Casey, who are members of a group called Preserve Burbank, which has fought against mansionization in Burbank.

Forquer, Cleereman and Casey argued the proposed project was not compatible with the surrounding neighborhood and construction of the basement would have a detrimental impact on neighboring houses.

“I’m an engineer with over 30 years of experience,” Cleereman said. “This is an accident waiting to happen.”

Gambourian, a lawyer based in Burbank, said she and the consultants she and her husband hired have tried their best to make sure the project will be as compatible as possible with the neighborhood .

She said the second floor will be set back 52 feet from the front property line and the sides of the house will be five feet from the side property lines. The rear-yard setback will be 46 feet away from the back property line.

“If we don’t follow the law, then yes, tell us that we cannot do it,” Gambourian said.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio