This home which came before the Planning Commission in February, will be built with minor modifications to appease neighbors who appealed the Planning Commission's approval.
Contemporary home wins approval from City Council
By Kara Chalmers
The City Council approved property owner Bill Liu's contemporary home in the hillsides on April 19, denying an appeal of the Planning Commission's approval brought by three of Liu's neighbors.
The two-story 6,500-square-foot home will be part of a planned subdivision, where all the building pads and existing homes are clustered to preserve open space.
The neighbors, Joseph Park of Masson Court, Jon Kwong of Saratoga Heights Court and Mabel Sze of Masson Court, said they had concerns about the home's size, its placement on the lot, privacy and obstruction of their views.
The house, with a wood exterior, is supposed to resemble the rolling hills on which it will be built. The copper roof is sloped, and the dark wood exterior and limestone and metal details are designed to make the house blend in with the natural environment, according to Nonchi Wang, Liu's architect and representative.
Liu's property, a narrow and long 2.75-acre lot, is constrained by landslides on and adjacent to the property, which Liu plans to repair. The home would best be constructed on a certain flat plateau on the property, because of the slope of the land, Wang said.
Council members unanimously denied the neighbors' appeal after little discussion on April 19. Mayor Stan Bogosian said that while it is often difficult for council members to balance the interests of neighbors and property owners, Liu made modifications to please the neighbors. Other council members noted that the applicant did not ask for any variances, and that the idea of clustering to preserve open space is a good one.
Liu said that while he didn't like the new plan as much as the first design, a compromise means that no one side is 100 percent satisfied. And a compromise is what the council in February directed Liu and his neighbors to accomplish.
In February, the council held the first hearing on the appeal of the home's design review, and directed Liu to return with more revisions to his plan in response to the neighbors' concerns. The council also suggested then that both sides try to work together to reach a compromise.
Since February, Wang has changed the plans of the home, elongating the structure and shifting it 10 feet to the north on the lot. He also put the pool on the other side of the home. Wang said he did this to try to appease the neighbors, and in the process Liu will lose 10 feet of his own view.
Also since February, the neighbors have met twice with Liu and conveyed their concerns. The neighbors said at the meeting that Liu made promises at those meetings that he did not keep.
"I don't think any of the issues have been resolved," said Mabel Sze and asked the council not to approve the home. Park also said there have been no changes for the better.
But Wang stated that the neighbors won't be satisfied with any changes.
"No matter what we do, they can see the shortcomings of the design," Wang said at the meeting.
Liu first came to planning commissioners with his proposal in October and the commission directed him to make changes and come back for a second hearing. Wang eliminated one of the two planned driveways and thus reduced the total lot coverage. He also included a fence around the pool, as commissioners suggested.
In December, Liu came back to the Planning Commission and this time the commission approved the project 4-3, finding that Liu's proposal was comparable in size and mass to neighboring residences. The modern home would be unique looking, but as many commissioners noted at the time, the neighborhood is eclectic and there is no prevailing style. Many commissioners found the design pleasing.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
