Second-floor proposal causes trouble in Paradise Valley
La Cañada homeowners Lynn and Chris Knox were looking to build onto their 2,324-square-foot mid-century modern home in the city’s Paradise Valley neighborhood, but steep hillsides and a backyard pool made expansion tricky.
So the couple decided to build upward, commissioning an architect to draw plans for a 592-square-foot second-floor bedroom suite addition to their home at 2104 Normanton Drive. The addition, according to the plans, include a balcony. When the project’s second-floor review went before the La Cañada Flintridge Planning Commission on Dec. 12, commissioners were split.
On the one hand, the addition was relatively modest and added a mere 4½ feet to the home’s overall height while remaining compliant with the required setbacks. On the other, it would be a rare second-floor home in a neighborhood long known for low, clean rooflines and closely situated homes.
Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve the plans, on the condition the homeowners changed the configuration and material of upstairs windows and reduced the depth of the balcony to maintain the privacy of neighbors living at the adjacent 2100 Normanton.
Three days after the decision, those neighbors, Hui (Tory) Gong and Stephen Newsom, filed an appeal claiming a two-story home would ruin the unique charm and quaintness of the Paradise Valley neighborhood, located in the northernmost Ocean View Boulevard area. They collected signatures from 84 neighbors who agreed.
The appeal was considered Tuesday by members of the City Council, who heard testimony on both sides and considered the city’s history of maintaining a balance between homeowners’ rights and preserving the charm and character of its neighborhoods.
“If the second-floor [plan] is allowed to proceed, we will certainly start seeing additional second-floor projects,” Newsom said. “This whole process is very disruptive — the people who come in and want to do this kind of work are very at odds with the rest of the community. And that trend would continue with more and more second floors.”
Chris Knox said he and his wife worked hard to come up with unobtrusive plans to expand their home. But when the project’s story poles went up, the neighbors began to hesitate.
“We still believe that the plan is attractive. We’re sensitive to neighbors and privacy,” he said. “The character and integrity is not about the size of people’s homes — it is the character of the neighbors. However it goes, we will be good neighbors, and we expect our neighbors to be good as well.”
In their comments, council members reflected on what constitutes mansionization, whether it’s a project’s footprint or encroachment upon privacy and the character of a neighborhood. Councilman Greg Brown said a two-story structure in an area dominated by single-story homes wouldn’t be in keeping with the existing scale and character of Paradise Valley.
“This does not protect privacy,” he said of the proposal. “It is as intrusive an invasion of privacy as I’ve seen. Even though it’s a small addition … here, it would have a huge impact.”
Councilman Jon Curtis said he didn’t see the proposal as being compatible with the overall neighborhood, but Mayor Pro Tem Terry Walker and Councilman Len Pieroni said they could make the same findings as planning commissioners, that the project was as respectful of privacy as could be expected and largely in keeping with the neighborhood’s character.
Mayor Mike Davitt broke the tie, saying the net height increase of 4½ feet was pretty minimal and that, with some more landscaped screening on the property’s northeast side, the privacy issue could be minimized. In the end, they voted 3-2 to deny the appeal.
“It is a very unique neighborhood. But I don’t think it’s a unique neighborhood because of the majority of [single-story] homes,” Davitt said of Paradise Valley. “Each home needs to stand on its own and be analyzed — that’s what our code allows for.”
Twitter: @SaraCardine
