SAN CLEMENTE

The City Council upheld the Planning Commission’s decision to allow a resident to add a second story to his garage on Avenida Cordoba after settling on a design compromise.

The council unanimously approved the conditional use permit that will allow resident Mark Cousineau to add the family room/office space after Cousineau agreed to stagger the second story 5 feet from the property line to create more space between the garage and neighboring houses.

Although plans originally called for the addition to feature a 3-foot setback consistent with the rest of the garage, City Manager Mike Parness said the compromise was reached to quell concerns over crowding near the garage.