The commission voted 5-1 to approve developer Greg Schatzel's rezoning application at an Aug. 10 public hearing, with Commissioner Jim Zito voting against the project and Commissioner Christopher Platten absent.

The developer wants to remove three homes on a 0.9-acre lot just north of Dorothy Avenue and construct two single-family detached houses that will face Delmas Avenue and eight houses that will border a private street being constructed as part of the project.

Zito sided with a city staff report that stated the project's high density and design elements were incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood.

The crux of the debate rested on whether the city should make an exception to the area's density standard of eight units per acre by allowing two additional units.

The city can approve an exception to the General Plan guidelines, allowing for increased density if officials believe the project is compatible with the neighborhood.

Zito said the project must be "exceptional" to meet these requirements

"It looks more like row houses to a certain extent ... and to me, that doesn't reach that level of exceptional," Zito said.

His fellow commissioners disagreed. Bob Levy, chairman for the planning commission, said the homes--ranging in size from 2,100 to 2,300-square feet--are a good fit for the small-home neighborhood.

"I find the size is exceptional," Levy said. "I think there's a tradeoff here. I think having 10 houses here is much better than if it shrunk down to six or seven monster homes."

Like Zito, several North Willow Glen residents living near the project told the commissioners they believed too many homes were planned.

Willow Glen Neighborhood Association president Ed Rast, North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association vice president Harvey Darnell and director Heidi LeVell and Greater Gardner Coalition Kevin Christman spoke against the project.

Rast said Schatzel's representative, Eric Schoennauer, had been aware since December that the neighborhood did not want a development larger than eight units per acre. After hearing residents' comments, the developer decreased the project density from 11 to 10 homes.

LeVell said she feared that such a large project would set a negative precedent in the neighborhood.

Christman added, "I feel we really need to cut this back to eight units per acre; we have these rules for a reason. We really want to work with Eric on this and make this an example of how to build homes in our neighborhood."

A handful of residents expressed concern that the project would worsen Delmas Avenue's problems with parking and subpar roads.

Four residents whose homes surround the proposed project favored the construction and saw it as an improvement for the aging neighborhood.

Eddie Navarez, who lives at 1181 Delmas Ave., said, "This is basically what I want to open my door to and look at."

Commissioner Xavier Campos pointed to Navarez and his neighbors' comments when voicing his support for the project.

"The neighbors that live on this street predominantly want to see this project happen and that should carry a lot of weight," he said.

The approval comes only months after the planning commission and San Jose City Council unanimously rezoned a nearly 1-acre lot on the corner of Delmas and Dorothy avenues. The project density for that development is eight units per acre, with seven 3,000-square foot homes. There is only one single-family home sitting between the two proposed developments.

The 10-home planned development project on Delmas Avenue came before the San Jose City Council for rezoning approval on Aug. 16 at 7 p.m. at the new San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St.