Glendale board requests reduction of proposed Adams Hill project
A plan to build a trio of homes next to each other in the Adams Hill neighborhood will be scaled back after residents argued the designs were uncharacteristically larger than other houses in the area.
The city’s Design Review Board voted unanimously Thursday to direct the developer to trim the mass and scale of the proposed properties sought to be built into the hillside on what would be 1800, 1820 and 1830 Marion Drive.
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The largest of the homes sought by applicant Mikayel Astoyan would be three stories and 4,334 square feet. The others would be a two-story, 3,335-square-foot residence and a three-story 2,899-square-foot house.
Swimming pools are proposed in the backyards of all three of the residences, as well.
A dozen residents spoke in opposition to the project, saying that existing homes are much smaller, usually capping at 1,500 or 2,000 square feet.
Barry Pelissier, who lives across the street from where the largest of the three homes would be built, said the proposed houses are intimidating and out of scale with his street.
“I think these houses are very nicely designed for Malibu. I can see any of these houses on the coast, right on the beach. They’re beautiful for that, but not here,” he said.
However, city staffers stated in recommendations to the design board that because the homes would have a setback of 25 or more feet — farther than most adjacent homes — their sizes would be appropriate for the neighborhood.
Board member Vrej Mardian said he wanted to reduce the projects’ scale, especially after learning nearly 7,300 cubic yards of hillside would have to be removed to make way for the homes.
He said he can’t recall ever reviewing a residential project that sought to remove that much earth.
The city has its own hillside-landscape ordinance for homes sought to be constructed into slopes.
“The whole point of the hillside-design guidelines is minimizing grading, minimizing retaining walls,” Mardian said.
In order to scale back the scope, board members directed that the backyards be made smaller.
Some of the board members were receptive toward the three designs and their modernist approach.
But Chair Art Simonian said he felt some refining was necessary.
“It’s very busy,” he said. “ There’s a lot going on. The designer wanted to provide everything he wanted in this. There’s so much going on that it creates a lot of undulation.”
The plan for all three proposed homes will return at a future Design Review Board meeting after undergoing a redesign.
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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com
Twitter: @ArinMikailian
