A house at 237 Glen Ridge Ave. remains half demolished because a glitch in Mark and Barbara Beck's plans sent them back to square one in the planning process, and then they decided to add another story to the house.
The Becks had permission to demolish part of the house and construct a one-story addition. When the town learned that contractors had removed all the house's exterior walls, they slapped a stop-work order on the project; removing so many walls made the project a complete demolition, so the Becks now need a demolition permit and permission to build a new house--rather than permission for an addition--because their lot is technically vacant, although the frame of the house is still there.
When the Becks submitted plans for their "new" house, they added a second story where the attic used to be. Back at Town Hall, the Becks had to once again face all the neighbors who opposed their project the first time around, and neighbors raised the same objections they raised last time, arguing that the house is too big and too close to its neighbor on the south.
With a 5-1 vote, the commission sent the project back to the Development Review Committee. They asked that the house be farther from its nearest neighbor and that its height be reduced. Chairwoman Sandy Decker dissented, saying the house was within height and floor-area limits for its neighborhood. The Becks have not proposed to make the house taller than it was before.
The proposal is to return to planning commissioners May 28.
The commission took a number of other other actions that evening, including the following:
* Issued a conditional-use permit to the Chart House. Under a 1977 law, all restaurants in town must obtain a permit by August 1997. The commission delayed a decision on the Chart House's resubmitted application for outdoor dining. Commissioners said they need more information. Architect Sandra Paim promised to help the restaurant refine its plans.
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This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, April 30, 1997.
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