Duarte : Appeal on House Size Denied

In the first test of a new ordinance regulating home enlargements, the City Council on Tuesday unanimously denied an appeal from several homeowners who oppose a neighbor’s plan to add a second story to his house.

In August, the city’s architectural review board approved Parambir Keith’s proposal to add a second story to his home at 3115 Fish Canyon Road. But residents living near the house appealed the plan, arguing that the structure’s windows and balconies would infringe on neighbors’ privacy.

Keith submitted revised plans proposing smaller windows in the east facing wall and eliminating a rear balcony. But in a hearing Tuesday, some neighbors argued that the proposed construction would make the house too large to blend in with other houses in the neighborhood.

In discussion, council members noted that Keith’s building plans meet the requirements of a city ordinance passed last year to set guidelines for the addition of second stories to existing homes.

“The applicant has gone to extraordinary measures to meet the requirements of the code and to address the concerns of the neighbors,” Councilman James D. Kirchner said.