1 - City of Glendale

2064 Buckingham Place
Page 3 of7
SITE PLANNING
The home is currently located on a flat building pad portion of dual-frontage flag lot that
features a steep down-slope along the rear towards Chevy Chase Drive. The general site
planning will not change drastically, as the majority of the proposed addition wi ll be on the
second floor above the house that is currently one-story. The additions to the first floor are
primarily proposed along the south and west elevations; such additions are composed of an
enlarged foyer, enlarged garage, enlarged family room facing the new deck and a new
breakfast area addition to the kitchen.
Due to the angle of the flag lot driveway from Buckingham Place and the substantial vegetation
and mature trees along the interior property line, the existing home is only partially visible from
Buckingham Place. The home is also not readily visible from Chevy Chase Drive, given the
curvature of the street and the steep slope leading up to the building pad.
A new cantilevered deck is proposed at the rear. The deck projects from the graded portion of
the lot (existing building pad) over the steeply sloped rear yard overlooking Chevy Chase Drive.
The height of this deck is less than the 15 feet overall maximum height. The railing of the
proposed deck will be glass. Staff recommends a condition of approval that requires
landscaping and irrigation to be installed in the area surrounding the proposed deck to soften
its appearance and reduce its mass/scale as viewed from neighbors south along Chevy Chase.
Lastly, the submitted site plan features a rectangular area north-west of the pool that is not
clearly identified. Based on a site visit, this area was discovered to be an outdoor covered
patio with an outdoor kitchen. According to the plans, this patio area stretches across the
interior property line. Building & Safety has no permits for this structure. Since it crosses over
property lines and does not meet the side setback in the R1 R zone, this structure cannot
readily be permitted and the property owner intends to remove it.
Lot coverage:
The existing lot coverage is approximately 8.2%. The proposed lot coverage for the
expanded building footprint will be 1 0.5%, with an increase of only 2.3%. According to
Code, any deck greater than 18 inches above grade must be included in the lot coverage
calculation; with the proposed deck at the rear, the new lot coverage ratio is 13.3%. The
proposed percentage is still well below the limit allowed by Code and the 30% limit
recommended in the Design Guidelines.
Parking:
The existing attached 2-car garage will be enlarged in order to provide the interior
clearance for a two-car garage required by Code (20' by 20' interior). The orientation of the
garage towards the flag lot driveway will not change. The new garage appears compatible
with the intent of the Guidelines, since the new garage is similar to the existing condition .
Landscaping:
The proposed addition will not necessitate the removal of any existing landscaping
currently on site. There is substantial landscaping, including a very tall, mature pine tree
and dense shrubbery at the interior bend of the flag lot driveway, screening a substantial
portion of the house from Buckingham Place. Staff is recommending that the landscaping
along the east interior property line be maintained and preserved, and that additional
landscaping be installed at the base of the new rear deck.
Walls:
There is an existing five- to six-foot high block wall that surrounds the subject property
along the north, south and portions of the east property lines, and a railing spanning the
edge of the building pad atop the sloped rear year. There is no fencing in the front yard
setback area directly in front of the house. There is a block retaining wall on the westernmost
portion of the property that encloses the swimming pool. The existing walls are to