Minutes-ZA 1997/11/20ACTION AGENDA
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 19979:30 A.M.
Staff Present:
Annika Santalahti, Zoning Administrator Selma Mann, Deputy City Attorney
Kevin Bass, Associate Planner Patricia Koral, Word Processor Operator
PUBLIC HEARING
1a. CEOA CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION CLASS NO.5
1b. VARIANCE NO. 4321
OWNER: Michael Hittner
1020 Buriwood Drive
ArPaheim, CA 92807
AGENT: Actec Engineering
Attn: C.M. Thomson
1660 N. Main Street
Orange, CA 92867
APPROVED
APPROVED IN PART
WITH ADDED
CONDITION
LOCATION: 341 South Ramsgate Drive. Property is 0.3 acre having, a
frontage of 108 feet on the west side of Ramsgate Drive, having a maximum
depth of 270 feet being located 370 feet south of the centerline of Whitestone
Drive.
REQUEST: Waiver of minimum structural set backs {25 ft. front yard required
and 11 ft. proposed; 10 ft. sideyazd required and 5 ft. proposed) to construct a 2-
story, 5,970 squaze foot single-family residence.
ZONING ADMINISTRATOR DECISION NO. 97-25
C.M. Thomson, Agent, Actec Engineering: described why the waiver was needed. There is a
limped buildable distance to the back. The house is wider than it is deep. The main entrance
involves two columns and a portico roof over the porch front.
Zoning Administrator: The entry feature has no side walls right? What are the street
improvements along Ramsgatel Mr. Thomson: the street is black topped with a built in swale.
Zoning Administrator: Where does the black top property line fall? Mr. Thomson: 2 or 3 feet
before you get to the black top. As you stand in the street and look at the house the driveway
goes down the right hand side. On the left hand side we are cutting into the hill a little bit just to
get the house down as far as we can and the street is not level but the house is level and the
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drainage goes out the back, we're talking a matter of couple feet. The 11 foot columns are above
the finished floor level.
Zoning Administrator: Have you checked whether any other waivers were granted on Ramsgate
for similar situations? Mr. Thomson: I spoke with Mr. Majid Ahmadi. He said the short setbacks .
that are on Ramsgate are up at the end.
Mr. Mike Hittner, owner of property: It is common in that neighborhood to have setbacks of 10 or
less feet. I received a map from Planning showing setbacks of 10 or less feet. to the garage so
that the driveway is short enough space that it's not enough for parking a car. So part of our
thinking was to go around the side because we wanted to make sure we didn't have any cars in
front of the house just landscape.
Kevin Bass, Associate Planner: Staff took a fieldtrip to the site and we have side-on garages in
this track approved in 1987. In July 1988, Code changed. What we came up with was they
complied with Code at the time for the particular side-on garage setbacks.
Selma Mann, Deputy City Attorney: As far as the findings for a variance., what we are comparing
is not that it is an unusual topography on a particular lot as compared to the lots of the area it
appears that the variation in grade is a characteristic rather than an unusual feature of the lots in
the particular area
Kevin Bass, Associate Planner: There were no other variances other than Variance No. 3699 in
regards to maximum structural height. There are adminisfrative adjustments which deal with
changes to exhibits in having an adjustment to permitted height of a structure and no setback
variances or administrative adjustments have been requested or approved in this area.
Zoning Administrator: Said that she had been involved when this tract was originally processed
and due to the unusual topography clearly there were going to be difficulties with serious down hill
grades.
Mr. Thomson: Stated that the downhill slope grading is 20%
Zoning Administrator: said that her concerns are that most lots are the same and that street
configuration is not typical throughout the city and you would normally expect to see curbs,
gutters, sidewalks and drainage and this was developed to maintain a rural atmosphere. So it
does concern her to do anything to establish a precedent or add to any kind of existing situation..
There isn't a concern with the entry portico but, the garage should set back at Code.
No one else indicated a desire to speak on the project so the Zoning Administrator closed the
public hearing..
Zoning Administrator: CEQA Categorical Exemption, Class No. 5 is recommended by staff and I
agree. Approve Variance No. 4321 in part, denying the portion of the structural setback waiver as
it pertains to the sideyard and approving the frontyard waiver, in part, to allow southeast comer of
the house to be at 20 feet but requiring the garage to be at 25 feet by angling the house, and
allowing the front entry columns to encroach into the 25 foot setback and the closest point there
will be about 11 to 16 feet.
Mr. Bass: Staff requests that an additional condition No. 4 be added so that the project, as
submitted to the Building Division for plan check, comply with Chapter 18.84 (scenic corridor)
regarding maximum building height and that any deviation from that would require it's own
separate variance.
Zoning Administrator: I will be adding some wording, as well, to the recommended conditions
since the submitted Exhibits 1-3 are not going to be totally reflective of my action and that an
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appropriate revisecj site plan be submitted to the Building Division for plan check and permit
issuance reflecting the changes regarding setbacks.
2a.
2b.
CEQA CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION-CLASS - 5
VARIANCE NO. 4324
APPROVED
APPROVED
3a.
OWNER: Dario Camarena
734 West Eighth Street
Corona, CA 91720
AGENT: R.C. Colin Co.
3810 East Palm Avenue
Orange, CA 92869
LOCATION: 865 South Philadelphia Street. Property is a rectangulazly-shaped parcel,
consisting of 0.15 acre, having a frontage of 44 feet on the west side of Philadelphia Street,
having a maximum depth of 152 feet, being located 171 feet south of the centerline of Valencia
Avenue.
REQUEST: Waiver of minimum side yazd setback (5 ft. required; 2.5 ft. proposed) to
permit an existing 131 squaze foot room addition.
ZONING ADMINISTRATOR DECISION NO. 97_26
Annika Santalahti, Zoning Administrator, stated that Variance 4324 proposed for 2.5 setback and
that the building minimum distance between houses Is a very deep narrow lot so the portion of the
area that is going to be within the required 5 feet is the minimum part of the entire length of the
side property'line.
Mr. Bass, Associate Planner: States because the property is zoned RM-1200 and in evaluating
single-family residential. Staff has the discretion to look at either the RS-7200 or the RS-5000
zones., both zones allow 20 foot setbacks front-on for garages if a roll-up garage door is installed.
Applicant Present: Robert Colin, 3810 E. Palm Ave., Orange, CA 92869.
No one else indicated their presence regarding this item. The Hearing was closed.
Zoning Administrator: Variance 4324 for the 2.5 setback because it lines up with the existing
house and because it is a narrow 44 foot lot in a zone which typically are 70 foot wide lots.
ITEMS OF PUBLIC INTEREST NONE