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05-07-2008 DRC MinutesCITY OF ORANGE DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE MINUTES -FINAL 7 May 2008 Committee Members Present: Bill Cathcart Adrienne Gladson Craig Wheeler Joe Woollett Committee Members Absent: Tim McCormack Staff in Attendance: Leslie Aranda Roseberry, Planning Manager Gary Sheatz, Assistant City Attorney Robert Garcia, Associate Planner Doris Nguyen, Associate Planner Chad Ortlieb, Senior Planner Dan Ryan, Senior Planner, Historic Preservation Howard Morris, Senior Landscape Coordinator Sandi Dimick, Recording Secretary Administrative Session - 5:00 P.M. The Committee met for an Administrative Session beginning at 5:10 p.m. Chair Wheeler opened the Administrative Session with a review of the Agenda. No changes were noted. Planning Manager, Leslie Aranda Roseberry, stated the calling of roll at the beginning of the DRC Meetings was being added to indicate for the record who was present, absent or arrived late. The Roll Call was a part of the City Council and Planning Commission Meetings and would be a part of the DRC Meetings. Assistant City Attorney, Gary Sheatz, stated he would not be present for the duration of the meeting and asked the Committee Members to review their Agenda and packets and address any issues they might have. Committee Member Woollett felt there maybe some questions on Item #2, Karlovich Residence, and Mr. Sheatz would be available for that portion of the meeting. Committee Member Cathcart made a motion to adjourn the Administrative Session. Administrative Session adjourned at 5:15 p.m. SECOND: Adrienne Gladson AYES: Bill Cathcart, Adrienne Gladson, Craig Wheeler, Joe Woollett NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Tim McCormack MOTION CARRIED. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 2 of 14 Regular Session - 5:30 P.M. ROLL CALL: Tim McCormack absent. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Opportunity for members of the public to address the Design Review Committee on matters not listed on the Agenda. No public attendees addressed the Design Review Committee on matters not listed on the Agenda. CONSENT ITEMS: All matters that are announced as Consent Items are considered to be routine by the Design Review Committee and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of said items unless members of the Design Review Committee, staff or the public request specific items to be removed from the Consent Items for separate action. 1) APPROVAL OF MINUTES: None City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 3 of 14 AGENDA ITEMS: Continued Items: 2) DRC No. 4213-07 - KARLOVICH RESIDENCE A proposal to demolish anon-contributing single-family residence and construct a new one-story, in-fill single-family residence and two-car detached garage. 468 North Olive Street, Old Towne Historic District Staff Contact: Daniel Ryan, 714-744-7224, dryan(a,cit o~range.org DRC Action: Recommendation to the Planning Commission Item continued from the July 18, 2007 DRC meeting Senior Planner, Dan Ryan, gave a project overview consistent with the Staff Report. Project Designer, Oscar Mora, address on file, stated he was in agreement with the recommendations received from Staff, which included changing from a horizontal to a hopper- style restroom window. Mr. Ryan asked if they had the garage door information? Mr. Mora stated they were still looking into that. Public Comment Jeff Frankel, representing the OTPA, address on file, stated he had looked into the contributing status of the property. The original inventory listed the property as a contributing property. The City website, based on the initial historic information, listed the property as contributing; however, in researching deeper it was not listed as a contributing property. He had spoken with Mr. Ryan about the investigation on the property itself. Initially he felt that the suggestion would be to build the structure maintaining the original style of the property. After reviewing the property information and based on Mr. Ryan's information there did not seem to be any original style left. He stated they would like to see in-kind materials used on the structure. It was hard to determine whether the structure was a bungalow, and they did need to be careful to reflect that the project would be in-fill and not create a false sense of history. The FAR seemed high for the block, as the threshold determined in the South Grand Street Study was .42, and most of the homes on the block where the property sat were much smaller. He was confused about the roof design on the garage and asked the applicant how they determined the design? Mr. Mora stated it was based on the setback and they chose a design which would be within the setback allowance. Chair Wheeler opened the item for discussion by the Committee. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 4 of 14 Committee Member Gladson stated in their research and looking at the overall integrity of the materials existing on the house, did the applicant feel some of the materials were salvageable? Applicant, Raymond Karlovich, address on file, stated he had inherited the home from a family member and at that time there were many things that needed to be done to the property. He had tried to refurbish and repair; however, he found that one project lead to the potential for other areas of the home to be changed. The roof had three different layers of shingles and in the bathroom was 2" above the drywall. He wanted to do the job correctly and complete the home all the way through. He stated there was nothing that could be salvaged from the original structure. Chair Wheeler asked if the applicant had considered going with a simple Gable style for the roof of the garage? Mr. Karlovich stated he had; however, there was an issue with water run-off. Mr. Mora stated they had wanted the Gable roof to run horizontal with the new addition. Chair Wheeler stated there were many roofs that did not run in the same direction as the rest of the structure or garage. Mr. Mora stated they had looked at many different designs. Mr. Ryan stated there was a 5' side yard and if the rake was 10' higher or above, it would still be allowable. Chair Wheeler stated the drawings were very hard to read and he could not locate the dimensions for the side yard. Mr. Mora stated the dimensions for the side yard were 5' 11 ". Chair Wheeler asked for the dimensions of the house. Mr. Mora reviewed the plans with the Committee Members. Committee Member Woollett stated Mr. Ryan had clearly done his homework on the project. He felt this was one of the extreme cases where a house was in a historical area, was built long ago, however; it was falling down and treating the project as an in-fill would be the proper thing to do. He stated the design was sensitive to the neighborhood and he supported the project. He stated if the applicant used all in-kind materials they would be creating a false history and it was not a good idea to do that. He was not opposed to the applicant using Hardy board. He stated he was confused with the site plan on sheet A-1, as there appeared to be a large area of concrete. Mr. Mora stated one area would be a walkway and the other a driveway. Committee Member Woollett asked for clarification on another area of the plans and suggested the planter should go all the way to the driveway. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 5 of 14 Mr. Ryan stated there would be a ribbon driveway. Mr. Mora stated the planter could be moved, however; when the resident parked their car the passenger door would hit the planter and bushes. Chair Wheeler stated with a 12'wide driveway they should not encounter that problem. Committee Member Woollett pointed out another area on the plans that would invite another car to park there. Mr. Karlovich stated they could add a tree or turf to the area to discourage parking. Mr. Mora stated he was not opposed to moving the landscape material towards the driveway. In creating the landscape design he took into consideration people exiting their vehicles and felt they would be hitting the landscape materials and planter. Committee Member Cathcart suggested the use of low plantings and flowers. Committee Member Woollett stated he liked the ribbon driveway as it showed respect for the neighborhood, and suggested that the concrete did not need to run all the way up to the house and to the fence, he suggested planting along the side of the house. He asked for clarification on the fence materials. Mr. Mora stated the fence would be redwood, he felt if he moved the fence back the property owner would use that area for trash cans which would be visible from the street. He wanted the redwood fence to run directly along the wall. Committee Member Woollett suggested the fence be stepped back 6". Chair Wheeler, pointing out an area on the drawings, stated the ridge appeared to carry back further on one side. Generally, in Old Towne, the houses had smaller exposed rafters with larger barge boards and suggested the use of 2"x 6" or 2"x 8" barge boards. Mr. Mora stated if they used 2"x 4" it would need to be engineered using trusses to get the 2"x 4" rafters to work, with a larger barge board. Chair Wheeler suggested, if they intended to use Hardy board to use the smooth finish, not the imitation wood grain. The window trim was called out with an angled trim, however, the door on the back did not have the same trim and he suggested they use the same trim all the way around the house. He stated a traditional simple trim would work better as he did not care for the use of the angled trim. Chair Wheeler suggested they re-study the piers and have them more proportioned and not so tapered at the top and to move the piers to align the beam with the overhang. Mr. Ryan stated that moving the piers could create a setback issue. Chair Wheeler stated they could move the pier in to have the base engage with the house. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page6of14 The Committee Members reviewed the drawings for the porch area with the applicant. Committee Member Cathcart stated he agreed with Committee Member Woollett that there should be some softening to the driveway. They could use some foundation plantings or a vine if there was a wall available. Mr. Karlovich stated there was a 3' wall along the driveway on the property line. It had been recently built by the neighbors. Mr. Mora clarified that there was a suggestion to remove the concrete strip along the house. Committee Members reviewed the drawings and pointed out the area where the suggestion was being made. Committee Member Gladson asked why the ribbon driveway stopped and did not continue back to the garage? Mr. Ryan stated they had stopped the driveway to allow for turning. Committee Member Gladson stated she was concerned with the maintenance of the grass in the ribbon driveway. Mr. Mora stated the grass would stop at the end of the gate. Chair Wheeler made a motion to recommend DRC No. 4213-07, Karlovich Residence, to the Planning Commission with the conditions contained in the Staff Report and with the following additional conditions: 1. Change garage roof to a simple Gable style. 2. Move the front pilaster away from the house. 3. Dimension the side setbacks on the site plan. 4. Add foundation plantings along the front of the house up to the gate (south side of property). 5. Widen the front planter and move the piers back into the porch area and change design to give a wider appearance. 6. Use smaller interior exposed rafter tails. 7. Match window trims all the way around the property. 8. Use smooth finish siding. 9. Stop the ribbon driveway at the gate. 10. Final landscape plan to be reviewed by Staff. 11. Barges should be 2" x 6", or preferred 2" x 8", and strongly suggest they be built in the conventional manner, not using the flat trim outlookers. SECOND: Bill Cathcart AYES: Bill Cathcart, Adrienne Gladson, Craig Wheeler, Joe Woollett NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Tim McCormack MOTION CARRIED. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 7 of 14 3) DRC No. 4258-07 - RODRIGUEZ RESIDENCE A proposal to construct a 2,079 sq. ft., two-story, second dwelling unit with an attached two-car garage. 4224 East Washington Avenue Staff Contact: Chad Ortlieb, 714-744-7237, cortlieb@cityoforange.org DRC Action: Final Determination Item continued from the February 6, 2008 DRC meeting Senior Planner, Chad Ortlieb, presented a project overview consistent with the Staff Report. Applicant, Fernie Acevedo, address on file, stated he made changes to the design to fit the neighborhood. Public Comment None. Chair Wheeler opened the item for discussion by the Committee. Committee Member Cathcart stated he was bothered when a plant was noted for use that did not exist. There was no such thing as a "hydraga"; if that was supposed to be a "hydrangea" it should be spelled correctly on the plans. He pointed out an area on the plans that showed a smaller version of the hydrangea and suggested the foundation plantings be reevaluated for scale and color. He agreed with Staff that the Floribunda Rose was not the correct plant to use for screening and he would add Photinia Frasieri to the list that Staff was recommending. Blue Grass was not recommended and he recommended Tall Fescue be used. He strongly recommended the applicant work with Staff to finalize a plant palette that made sense. Chair Wheeler stated he wanted to compliment the applicant for incorporating the suggestions from the last meeting into the new design. The Gable roof was more compatible with the Craftsman style of the house in the front. They had cleaned up most of the problems on the drawings and pointed out a few that still remained. The window on the side of the house did not appear on the floor plans. The ridge was not centered and suggested they have a box out on one side to have equal overhangs on each side. The south and east elevations had been transposed. He suggested they study the roof line, the porch roof appeared to be shedding towards the front of the house and the side elevation showed the roof shedding to the side. The drawings showed the pop-out roof for the pop-out sections, however, the pop-out themselves were not shown on the drawings - he pointed out areas on the drawings where they should be called out. The kitchen window appeared to have too low of a sill and there was a rounded rafter depicted with a fascia on the side; he suggested exposed rafter tails. He stated the proportions of the columns needed to be studied as they appeared very thin and weak and the siding material needed to be noted. The vent material should be called out on the plans as well. Committee Member Gladson stated she suggested the use of another design, rather than the use of circular vents. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 8 of 14 Committee Member Woollett stated he was concerned with the garage access; it appeared that to get into the garage the resident would need to drive over the landscaped area. He felt they needed to add more pavement. They could use turf block or grass cell material that would tolerate traffic, or they could stop the ribbon driveway sooner. Chair Wheeler stated they could stop the ribbon 25' back from the garage. Committee Member Woollett asked for clarification on the description natural cobblestone? Mr. Acevedo stated the material had been suggested by the contractor, and it would be the use of natural tumbled cobblestone. Committee Member Cathcart stated the cobblestone would be hard to walk on and to drive on. Committee Member Woollett suggested the use of simple concrete or a textured concrete for the area instead of cobblestone. Committee Member Gladson asked if there would be any trees planted in the front yard? She suggested the addition of a tree. Committee Member Cathcart suggested the applicant work with Staff as a 3' to 4' area of mulch was required to protect the tree. Committee Member Gladson made a motion to approve DRC No. 4258-07, Rodriguez Residence, with the conditions contained in the Staff Report and with the following conditions: 1. Call out material on the garage door. 2. Add mass to the front columns and widen piers. 3. Pop-outs should be shown on all elevations. 4. Re-study front porch elevations -they should match. 5. Call out materials for window trim, out lookers and rafter tails. 6. Re-study vents -suggested the use of square vents. 7. Re-study the kitchen window for proper dimensions and size. 8. Change cobblestone to a concrete material. 9. Plantings should be spelled correctly on the plans and incorporate the suggestions for the changes in the plant palette. SECOND: Joe Woollett AYES: Bill Cathcart, Adrienne Gladson, Craig Wheeler, Joe Woollett NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Tim McCormack MOTION CARRIED. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 9 of 14 4) DRC No. 4291-07 - ZAKI RESIDENCE ACCESSORY SECOND DWELLING UNIT A proposal to construct a 628 sq. ft. accessory second dwelling unit and reconstruct the existing garage. 375 North Cambridge Avenue Staff Contact: Doris Nguyen, 714-744-7223, dnguyen cr,cityoforange.org DRC Action: Final Determination Item continued from the March 5, 2008 DRC meeting Associate Planner, Doris Nguyen, presented a project overview consistent with the Staff Report. Public Comment None. Chair Wheeler opened the item for discussion by the Committee. Chair Wheeler stated the garage door configuration had not been changed on the drawings as they were still shown on the west side of the property. He felt the new design was a much better solution and it cut down on the amount of driveway and provided for more open space for each unit. At the last meeting the Committee had suggested that the fascia board and the soffit match the existing house as much as possible and there was still reference to the old fascia and barge board locations, and those needed to be changed. The window and door material should be called out on the plans. Applicant, Robert Del Moro, address on file, stated the windows would be vinyl and the materials were called out on the construction document. Chair Wheeler stated the sliding door was called out as aluminum and suggested, with the use of vinyl for the windows, the sliding door should also be vinyl. He stated he did not see any material notations for the garage door. The window and door trim should match the house, with the same window sill trim to match. He stated that there seemed to be a large amount of Turf Crete, they had suggested the use of Turf Crete for the guest parking space, however; bringing it out to the street seemed rather strange. Mr. Del Moro stated having it extend to the street was the suggestion from the previous meeting. Committee Member Cathcart stated all it would require was maintenance. Committee Member Woollett stated the intention was to use Turf Crete instead of something like grass cell. He felt the Turf Crete was more difficult to maintain. If a good base was not provided or a good supportive edge it would move as cars drove over it. Mr. Del Moro stated he had included a concrete stamp that would be level with the pavers as a supportive edge. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 10 of 14 Committee Member Woollett asked what would happen along the house? Mr. Del Moro stated there was a planter. Committee Member Woollett stated it was important to add an edge at the base of the planter to keep the product from moving. Chair Wheeler made a motion to approve DRC No. 4291-07, Zaki Residence, Accessory Second Dwelling Unit, with the conditions contained in the Staff Report and with the following additional conditions: The garage door material be clarified. 2. The garage to reflect the actual location of the garage door moving to the west elevation and the window that would be moving to the south elevation. 3. The windows and sliding door be of a vinyl material. 4. The door and window trim be designed to match the existing house in the front. 5. The soffit and fascia be designed to match the existing house in the front. 6. An edge trim for the Turf Crete to match the planter on the south side of the building. SECOND: Adrienne Gladson AYES: Bill Cathcart, Adrienne Gladson, Craig Wheeler, Joe Woollett NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Tim McCormack MOTION CARRIED. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 11 of 14 New Agenda Items: 5) DRC No. 4304-07 - LEAVITT RESIDENCE A proposal to add approximately 110 sq. ft. to the front of a dwelling, a new 249 sq. ft. porch, and a 1,615 sq. ft. second story. 1559 North Handy Street Staff Contact: Robert Garcia, 714-744-7231, rgarcia cr,cityouforange.org DRC Action: Preliminary Review Associate Planner, Robert Garcia, presented a project overview consistent with the Staff Report. Applicant, Mark Leavitt, address on file, stated they had been in the community for 10 years and their family had grown over those years. They wanted to increase the size of their home in order to continue living in it. They were trying to maximize and maintain the character of the home. There were multiple two-story dwellings in the neighborhood and they had followed the in-fill recommendations that were required by the City. The second story was setback and there was quite a bit of architectural dimension to the addition to minimize the appearance of the second story. Applicant, Jamie Leavitt, address on file, stated she had 3 big boys in one bedroom and she wanted to allow one of them to have his own bedroom. Contractor, John Agee, address on file, stated he was assisting the applicant to bring their project to fruition. His experience was in pulling permits and most municipalities that he dealt with did not have a Design Review Committee. The comments and recommendations made confused him a bit, as it spoke to the 3 houses within proximity to the applicant's property and there were only 4 homes on their side of the street. There were many two-story homes directly down the street. The additions that were in the area were the types that he was asked not to build. The windows on the addition were placed in a manner that they would not be facing into an adjacent property. The design maximized the home and kept a nice design and not a box over a garage and he felt the Design Review Committee would agree with that. He was interested in any comments or recommendations that would help them to move the project along. Public Comment None. Chair Wheeler opened the item to discussion by the Committee. Committee Member Woollett stated the basic approach was good and there were other two-story homes in the area. He did not object to the second story in the area and it was difficult to judge the mass. The project needed to be looked at very carefully. He felt the roof could be lowered, if a sloped ceiling was used the plates could be dropped to 7' S". Mr. Agee stated that would mean a 7' ceiling. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 12 of 14 Committee Member Woollett stated it would not create a 7' ceiling it would be a lower plate line with a sloped ceiling. There was a significant mass problem that needed to be addressed. Mr. Agee asked if there was a maximum height requirement that was recommended for the area? Committee Member Woollett stated it was not a height issue but a mass issue. It looked like a much larger home than any of the others in the neighborhood. He felt the property owner was not interested in creating a mansion and wanted to add space for their children. Mr. Agee stated on the other two-story homes it appeared that those designs had 4' additions coming out of the roof area, although their ceiling heights were the same. Committee Member Woollett stated the other additions in the area did not cover the entire area of the first floor. Committee Member Gladson, referenced a copy of the City Guidelines, stated there were recommended guidelines that dealt with the mass issue and encouraged compatibility with the first floor of the property. She concurred with Committee Member Woollett that a second story was not an issue it was more of a mass issue. Chair Wheeler suggested the new structure could be moved back with the use of dormers in front to add living space in those areas. In moving the ridge back it gave the appearance from the front of the house of a one-story that extended back to a higher level. They would not be able to obtain the same amount of square footage, however; they could get a sizeable second story. Another suggestion would be to have a second story element that was built over the garage allowing more square footage and not have the appearance of the mass of the second story from the street. The mass of the existing project was so different than the other homes in the area and he felt it did not meet the in-fill guidelines. Committee Member Gladson stated there were other designs that would allow them to achieve more space. The guidelines promoted designs that made the second story appear as if they had always been there when the home was built. The goal was to have people look at the property as a nice two-story home, with character and to get a sense that the home fit into the neighborhood. Chair Wheeler stated many applicants mentioned that the neighbors had done the same thing as they proposed, and that was one of the reasons the In-Fill Design Guidelines were created. Committee Member Gladson stated she felt the features that appeared in the front should be carried to the rest of the house. Side and rear elevations were seen by someone and she encouraged those elements to be brought around to enhance the home. Chair Wheeler stated that was something that had come up in the late 60's when architects placed the emphasis of the design on the front elevation. Mr. Agee stated the rest of the neighborhood currently had most of the details of the homes in the front of the house and in keeping with the compatibility they had placed most of their design details in the front of the house. He had submitted a letter that stated the addition should appear seamless and not have the new structure look like an addition. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 13 of 14 Committee Member Gladson reiterated that she felt the design elements should be carried all the way around the addition. Committee Member Woollett stated it was not in the Committee Member's purview to ask the applicant to do that. It was important to look at the guidelines and not confuse the applicant. The massing was the issue; Chair Wheeler had given suggestions on how they could address that. Mrs. Leavitt stated the goal was to get all six of their family members on the same floor. Committee Member Woollett stated the guidelines specifically addressed massing and there was nothing to restrict them from adding a second story. Chair Wheeler stated there were many ways to achieve the second story with lowering of the plates, volume ceilings, pushing the ridge back or to design the addition over the garage. Committee Member Woollett stated they had an existing dormer and if they allowed a sloping ceiling there would be an adequate amount of space. Chair Wheeler stated they could also come out more in the back, adding more space on the existing first floor and on the second story. Mr. Leavitt stated that would compromise the backyard and they also had the swimming pool to consider. Chair Wheeler stated they should attempt to keep the front roof form compatible with that of the neighboring properties with the addition to the rear of the property. Committee Woollett stated the 5 and 12 roof pitch could be 4 and 12, unless they went with a more sloped roof design. Committee Member Gladson stated there was always concern when a second story was being added and she referred back to the In-Fill Design Guidelines and stated pages 7, 8, 9 and 10 had many of the things that the Committee had touched on. Mr. Leavitt stated on page 7 there was an example of the addition they had designed and that was what the designer had been trying to achieve. On page 8, on the right side, it was very similar to the roof line depicted in the guidelines. He clarified that they needed to reduce the appearance of the second story and have compatibility with the neighboring properties. Chair Wheeler stated the presentation of the project was for a preliminary review with recommendations given to the applicant and no motion was required. City of Orange -Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes for May 7, 2008 Page 14 of 14 ADJOURNMENT: A motion was made by Committee Member Woollett to adjourn to the next regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, May 21, 2008. Meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m. SECOND: Bill Cathcart AYES: Bill Cathcart, Adrienne Gladson, Craig Wheeler, Joe Woollett NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Tim McCormack MOTION CARRIED.