Housing developer Salim Sagharchi and his partner, Sia Hashemi, got the commission's permission after presenting a revised plan to subdivide a 1.97-acre parcel on the corner of Quito Road and Martha Avenue to construct six two-story homes with lots ranging from 11,118 square feet to 13,371 square feet. The new cul-de-sac will be designed as a 35-foot-wide public road with a 19.5-foot-wide travel lane and two 7.75-foot-wide parking lanes.

The parcel that is being demolished is the former Dorcich orchard, which includes a two-story farmhouse. The late Lou Dorcich operated a business selling a variety of fruits from his property, one of the last private orchards in Saratoga. The property was left vacant for nearly two years following his death, leaving no one to care for the fruit trees.

The original plan that was presented to the commission on Sept. 10 included seven two-story homes, six with road frontages on a private cul-de-sac near Martha Avenue and the seventh intersecting at McFarland Avenue.

According to assistant staff planner Ann Welsh, the original project did not comply with the city's subdivision regulations, but the new one meets all requirements, including having the lots positioned at right angles relative to the cul-de-sac.

The orchard consists of approximately 150 trees, 77 of which are large enough to be regulated by the city ordinance.

"Preserving trees is an important issue for us as well," Hashemi said. "We'll do our best to follow the arborist's recommendations."

However, Welsh said that some trees will be impacted due to street-widening procedures.

Upon direction from the heritage preservation commission, the farmhouse will be upgraded and relocated to another portion of the cul-de-sac.

To address the traffic concerns that many residents expressed during the Sept. 10 meeting, Hashemi said that he plans to "move the houses as far away from the property line as possible and to set the driveway back" to allow more cars, to limit any congestion.

Residents also expressed concerns about privacy.

Christopher Duporte, whose home would abut one of the proposed homes, said he was completely adamant about not having a two-story home next to his property, although he was satisfied with the rest of the plan.

Meanwhile, resident Elizabeth Lara said she would like to see a study of how the construction process will affect traffic in the neighborhood.

"Quito Road is a heavily used street to begin with," she said. "The work involved in the construction process would be a threat to the public's safety."

In response, Hashemi said that he will do what he can to accommodate the neighbors' concerns and hopes to work with them to produce a plan that is agreeable with the neighborhood.

At the meeting, Commissioner Mike Uhl said he was still concerned about turning the orchard into a subdivision, but felt it was time to move forward with the plan. Like Hashemi, Uhl said he would like to see developers and residents working with one another throughout the planning process.

Design reviews of the homes and accompanying landscape will be discussed at a later meeting.