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July 16, 2009 2-PDR2009-039-A 1500 Remah Vista Drive There is one protected tree located 20 feet from the subject site on the adjacent property. The location of the tree in relation to the proposed project will be reviewed by the City's Urba n Forester for any potential im pacts. Mitigation measures may be provided in order to ensure protection of the oak tree during construction. NEIGHBORING ZONES AND USES: Zoning Existing Uses North R1R-11 Single Family Dwelling South R1R-11 Single Family Dwelling East R1R-11 Vacant West R1R-11 Single Family Dwelling Project Site R1R-1I Single Fam ily Dwelling DESIGN GUIDELINE REVIEW AND STAFF ANALYSIS Single-Family Neighborhood Analysis and Neighborhood Guidelines: The property is located in the Rossmoyne neighborhood, which is a "Woodlands" neighborhood . This neighborhood is characterized by large homes and varied front yard setback distances. Predominantly Spanish Colonial Revival and Colonial Revival Homes (Federal) epitomize this neighborhood. However, the immediate street block consists of a variety of architectural infl uences including Spanish, Ranch , Tudor, etc. These homes exhibit many recurring features in their site plans. Also, homes in this neighborhood tend to be large in size, 1 to 2 stories, and range from 1,400 square feet - 2,500 square feet. Most of the houses in the neighborhood were built between the 1920's and 1960's. Many homes in the hillside neighborhoods are described to be large by the Single-Family Neighborhood Analysis and the Guidelines, but most of the lots are difficult to develop due to the sloping topography. Hillside Design Guidelines encourage designs that reduce the visual prom inence of bu ildings so that the natural character of the hillside is still apparent. Reducing mass and bulk, introducing variations of plane, and orienting the upper stories and the roof pitch to follow the hillside slope are goals that the Guidelines recommend when designing a hillside home. Retaining walls should be designed at a minimum height, with earth-toned decorative materials and screened with landscaping. Landscape Design Guidelines for Hillside Development recommends the use of drought tolerant plants, preservation of large specimen trees, and vegetation that is easily maintained along the sloped portion of the lot. They recommend an "ornamental palette" for the remainder of the site. The goal of the naturalizing plant palette is to create a slope in which the ecological elements of a native hillside are realized . Drought and fire resistant palettes help reduce both erosion and fire danger as well as enhance the visual quality of the new developments, giving them a more natural appearance. COMPARISON OF NEIGHBORHOOD AND PROPOSAL: Average of Properties Range of Properties within 300 linear feet within 300 linear feet of Subject Property Proposal of subject property subject property Lot size 16919 sq. ft. 6,141 sq. It - 48,362 sq. It 12,019 sq. ft. Front setback 23 feet 5' to 45' 21 feet to the balcony House size 2,566 sq. ft. 1,528 sq. ft. - 6,034 sq. ft. 2,454 Floor Area Ratio 0.20 0.12- 0.25 0.20 Number of stories 1 and 2 stories 1 and 2 stories 2 2
SITE PLANNING July 16, 2009 2-PDR2009-039-A 1500 Remah Vista Drive The subject property is located at the intersection of Remah Vista Drive and Melwood Drive. The topography consists of uphill sloping terrain, however, the house is situated on a relatively flat area. The area surrounding the home consists of heavy, lush vegetation. The site planning will not change as a result of the project. The existing build ing foot print will remain an L-shape design. The applicant proposes to add 30 square feet of closet space on the first floor and a new 706 square-foot second story addition with a 90 square-foot balcony. The total floor area of the single-family home combined with the proposed addition will be 2,454 square-feet. The existing attached garage and dri veway will be maintained with access from Remah Vista Drive. The house will maintain the existing 40-foot setback on the first floor. The first floor addition will be located on the north (rear) and west side of the house. The second floor addition will be situated towards the westerly portion of the house. Lot Coverage: The lot includes a single-family house and garage. Landscaping: No changes are being proposed to the existing landscape conditions. The proposed landscaping is 54 percent, which complies with the minimum 40 percent Zoning requ irement. As previously mentioned, the site includes lush vegetation throughout. Parking (including driveways): The existing two-car attached garage and brick driveway will be maintained. Site Walls: New walls are not being proposed. There is an existing stone retaining wall along the exterior perimeter of the house, which will remain. Trash location is located and screened next to the garage on the north side. Also, there is mechanical equipment screened in the same area and on the west side of the house. No new walls are being proposed. The existing site plan condition is consistent with the proposal and is, therefore, consistent with the general neighborhood pattern. MASS AND SCALE The existing Contemporary Ranch residence is 1,748 square-feet built on a single level with an attached 2-car garage. The house has a low profile, low lying roof, and a wide, horizontal fagade . The overall building height will increase due to the construction of the second floor addition. This partial second floor addition is proposed to be stepped back along the east and west side of the first story. The site topography and the location of the second floor addition benefit the mass in that it significantly reduces potential building visibility from the street. Further, the neighboring property to the north is located at a higher elevation compared to the subject property. Reducing the apparent mass and scale of the building is accomplished in other ways. The design of the building, location of the additions, and proper use of materials, minimizes any potential of an overwhelming bu ilding mass out of scale with the surrounding neighborhood . The applicant has made an effort to incorporate various materials, details, and fenestration in order to reduce the mass of the building and maintain its original horizontal appearance. Further, the scale of the house will not significantly change. Therefore, the overall appearance of the building is in keeping with the general neighborhood context as it relates to mass and scale. Building Height: The overall building height will be 20'4" with the new second story addition. While a portion of the building's mass will increase , overall , the house will essentially maintain its low profile appearance, which is consistent with the existing conditions. The maximum height permitted in this zone is 35 feet, provided the roof pitch is at least 3:12. Setbacks: The existing front setback is approximately 21 '-6" from the property line along Melwood Drive and 28 feet along Remah Vista Drive. The existing minimum setback of 5 feet will remain on the north side of the garage . The minimum front setback for the Rl R zone is 15'-0" and the minimum interior setback is 5'-0" for single-family structures with a height of 20'-0" to 30'-0". Floor Area Ratio : The existing house is 1,718 square feet with a FAR of 0.15. The proposed house will be 2,454 square feet with an FAR of 0.20. Houses located in the vicinity of the subject property range from 1,604 square feet to 6,034 square feet in size with an FAR range from 0.12 to 0.25. 3
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