By Ryan Ozimek
A request for a variance to construct a 3,741-square-foot house on Spring Blossom Court met with opposition during the July 10 Saratoga Planning Commission meeting.
Neighbors asked the commission to deny a variance that would allow the back of the house within 25 feet of the rear lot line.
Neighbor Paul Campbell pointed out that a 1992 parcel standard required the house to be set 45 feet away from the lot line and said the 25-foot variance would bring the house too close to bordering homes.
Earlier in the public hearing, city staff reported that the irregular shape of the lot and its 1991 creation, a year before the parcel standard requiring the 45 foot setback, were enough to allow the applicant to build with the existing design.
Commissioner Henry Murakami, who said, "I can sense the hostility among neighbors here," joined the rest of the commission in asking the applicant if he would postpone a vote until August in order to have time for design changes, rather than face a likely denial. The applicant agreed to the extension.
In other actions, a request to construct a garage on Hidden View Lane passed unanimously. The item included a variance where the south property line would be 11 feet away from the garage, rather than the 20-foot minimum setback required by city statutes.
The Commission unanimously approved construction of a 25-square-foot sign to be placed in front of the Quito Courtyard office building. A variance to locate the sign 10 feet from the front property line, instead of 15 feet, was granted.
The Commission also unanimously approved a 642-square-foot second-story addition on Dagmar Drive.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, July 24, 1996.
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