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Home My WebLink About2014_04_02 Written Communications - Appeal City of Saratoga Memorandum To: Saratoga City Council From: Crystal Bothelio, City Clerk Date: April 2, 2014 Subject: Written Communications on Item 12: Appeal of the Planning Commission’s Denial to Construct a New 3,348 Square Foot Two-‐‑Story Home at 13580 Saratoga Vista Avenue After the agenda packet for the April 2, 2014 City Council meeting was prepared and posted, the City received the several written communications on Agenda Item 12: Appeal of the Planning Commission’s Denial to Construct a New 3,348 Square Foot Two-‐‑Story Home at 13580 Saratoga Vista Avenue. The written communications are attached to this memo. Monday,(March(31,(2014(8:42:37(AM(Pacific(Daylight(Time Page(1(of(1 Subject:Timeline'Design'Project'decision Date:Friday,'March'28,'2014'12:28:57'PM'Pacific'Daylight'Time From:bonnie_wright@comcast.net'<bonnie_wright@comcast.net> To:Cynthia'McCormick'<cmccormick@saratoga.ca.us>,'City'Clerk'[Crystal'Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> CC:Matthew'Harrigan'<mharrigan@tldesign.net> Dear Ms. McCormick and Ms Bothelio: My name is Bonnie Wright and I am a current Saratoga homeowner. I am writing to express my concern and, frankly, outrage, over the denial of the most recent Timeline Design Project. I have read the documentation submitted, and as a practicing attorney, it appears that the city has made a significant error which will produce far reaching unintended consequences. How can a project that is in full compliance with the existing City Codes and Design Guideline be denied? When building our home, we went to significant expense to adhere to all codes and guidelines. If the Planning Commission feels the guidlines and city codes should be changed, there is a process for doing so, as you well know. And that process is there for a reason, to protect all Saratoga Residents. At this point, the project is in compliance and I urge you to reconsider the decision. This error affects all of the residents of Saratoga, not only the resident involved in this particular project. I have grave concerns regarding what appears, to be a misuse of power. Please reconsider. Bonnie Wright, Esq. Monday, March 31, 2014 9:23:43 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:Planning Commission Appeal to the City Council -‐ 13580 Saratoga Vista Date:Saturday, March 29, 2014 4:05:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time From:James A. Campagna <jim@plazaloans.com> To:Cynthia McCormick <cmccormick@saratoga.ca.us>, City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> Hon. Members of the Saratoga City Council, Regarding the recent Planning Commission decision on the aforementioned project. I request that you vote to overturn the planning commission in support of the homeowner. This is a fine project and I trust the council will endeavor to uphold the private property rights of its citizens when reasonably possible. Thank you for serving on our City Council. James A. Campagna 19511 Glen Una Drive Saratoga, CA 95070 CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-‐mail communication may contain CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION and/or otherwise protected by law from disclosure and is intended only for use of the intended recipients named. If you are not the intended recipient of this communication, or the person responsible for delivering this to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that the reading, copying, or distributing of this communication, or any unauthorized review, use, dissemination, downloading, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-‐ mail, or by calling (408) 978-‐0400. Delete this communication and destroy all copies. Please consider the environment before printing this email. Monday, March 31, 2014 9:24:36 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:Design Review PDR13-‐0012 (13580 Saratoga Vista Ave.) Date:Saturday, March 29, 2014 3:07:33 PM Pacific Daylight Time From:Percy Aria <paria@juniper.net> To:City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> Dear Ms Bothelio, We are the homeowners at 20133 Thelma Ave., which is at the junction of Saratoga Vista Ave. and Thelma Ave. The proposed two story structure at 13580 Saratoga Vista Ave. (APN 393-39-025) is too massive and uncharacteristic of the neighborhood and does not take into consideration its effects on the adjacent property at 20130 Thelma Ave. and its privacy. A lower single story structure with an equivalent footage distributed across the lot would be much more suitable to blend in with the neighborhood. There have been eighteen new/renovated homes on Thelma Avenue and not a single structure is two story. We urge that the City Council uphold the planning commission’s decision to deny the proposed two story plan for 13580 Saratoga Vista Ave. Thanks for your consideration. Percy & Nina Aria Monday, March 31, 2014 9:22:17 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:Planning Commission Appeal to the City Council -‐ 13580 Saratoga Vista Date:Sunday, March 30, 2014 7:21:07 PM Pacific Daylight Time From:Auches, Bruce A <bruce.a.auches@intel.com> To:Cynthia McCormick <cmccormick@saratoga.ca.us>, City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> CC:Jeanne Auches (jauches@comcast.net) <jauches@comcast.net> To Ms. Cynthia McCormick and Ms. Crystal Bothelio: As Saratoga citizens we are concerned about the fairness of the Planning Commission’s decision to deny the permit on this property for the following reasons: 1. Fair Application of rules -‐ The Planning Commission’s decision is inconsistent with the recommendations made for the houses recently built (in 2010) across the street. These houses are larger than the one proposed. The Planning Commission should thoroughly explain the reasoning on this point. It does not seem the rules were applied the same way for the proposed property. This is not fair to its owner. 2. Two story homes are allowed and in some cases can be less impactful -‐ City guidelines allow for two story homes if they follow existing roof contours of adjacent residences. The proposed property appears to follow existing roof contours well due to its lower profile design, narrow lot, considerable distance from the residence to the north and the general slope of the area. A one story residence would likely have to be closer to the residence to the north and thus have a greater impact on the residence to the north. Respectfully, Bruce and Jeanne Auches Monday, March 31, 2014 9:08:45 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:In Regards to the proposed project at 13580 Saratoga Vista Ave, Saratoga Date:Monday, March 31, 2014 6:51:53 AM Pacific Daylight Time From:Cara Fernandez <cara_fernandez@yahoo.com> To:City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> Dear Crystal Bothelio: As a Saratoga Resident I have reviewed the proposed project at 13580 Saratoga Vista Ave and it looks very similar to another project that was approved across the street. It seems that the rules are not being applied fairly to this project as the proposed house is smaller and lower than the ones across the street. In the information I reviewed, the planning staff recommended approval of the project, and, based upon the information in the Handbook provided by Timeline Design the project is in compliance with all the city guidelines. I think the project will fit in very well with the neighborhood and will not decrease our property value. As I drive through my neighborhood, I enjoy seeing new construction. It makes me believe there is a future for Saratoga, a rebirth. If new homeowners are denied the ability to improve their property and build their “dream” homes, we will lose prospective buyers to neighboring communities. This will not only affect our property values, but impact other areas of our community including our local schools. Sincerely, Cara Fernandez Monday, March 31, 2014 11:57:41 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 2 Subject:Re: 13590 Saratoga Vista Ave Date:Monday, March 31, 2014 11:50:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time From:Lee Zhang <lzhangg@gmail.com> To:Cynthia McCormick <cmccormick@saratoga.ca.us>, City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us>, Helen Xu <hxu1988@yahoo.com> Hi Cindy, As the owners of property at 13591 Saratoga Vista Ave, we are sending you the email to support the appeal to the City Planning Commission’s decision by Margaret Li's family. Based on my research the owner has revised their original design several times, however the city still declined their design plan based on false assumption raised by one of the neighbors. We strongly believe City has put them through a lot and it is very unfair. In review of their plan, the house they are proposing is very consistent with the neighborhood and adheres to all city guidelines. Please review their revised plan carefully, we sincerely hope you can do it right this time and approve their revised plan accordingly. Sincerely, Helen Xu and Li Zhang On Tue, Dec 10, 2013 at 5:03 PM, Lee Zhang <lzhangg@gmail.com> wrote: Hi Cindy, We are the owner of the property located at 13591 Saratoga Vista Ave, just across the street from the property which is in the design phase and will start to be rebuilt from ground up soon. We understand the design of new property has been revised a few times due to complaints from adjacent neighbors, we however would like to support the current design and elevation of the new build, we believe the design is not only compatible with the surrounding style but also helps to increase the overall market value of the properties in the community. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to talk to us regarding the comments. Regards, Helen Xu and Li Zhang 408-‐315-‐9470 Page 2 of 2 -‐-‐ Lee Zhang Managing Director Abacus Financial Services BRE# 01438631 NMLS# 196970 Cell 408-‐315-‐9470 Tel.510-‐353-‐0855 Fax.510-‐353-‐0850 Monday, March 31, 2014 9:08:14 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:Project at 13580 Saratoga Vista Ave Date:Monday, March 31, 2014 12:48:28 AM Pacific Daylight Time From:Mei Wang <222mei@gmail.com> To:City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> Dear Crystal, As a resident of City of Saratoga, I do not think the decision made by the City Planning Commission about this project (13580 Saratoga Vista Ave) was fair to the applicant. As we can see, a single-‐story house will have a larger impact to the surrounding neighborhood. Because the neighbors will be facing a much larger wall and it also requires a lot of grading to the natural ground. In this particular case, a two story house seems to be a more reasonable solution because it will minimize the grading and the size of the wall that the neighbor will be seeing. Plus, there are two bigger houses across the street are two-‐story houses, I do not see the reason why they cannot have another two-‐story house here. Thanks! Mei Wang, Ph.D. Monday, March 31, 2014 12:42:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:Planning Commission Appeal to the City Council -‐ 13580 Saratoga Vista Date:Monday, March 31, 2014 12:14:02 PM Pacific Daylight Time From:Rachel Campagna <rachel@campagnalaw.com> To:Cynthia McCormick <cmccormick@saratoga.ca.us>, City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> Priority:High Dear Saratoga City Council, My name is Rachel Campagna and I am writing to you, as a property owner and resident of Saratoga, to express my support of the abovementioned construction project. I am supportive of this project for the following reasons: 1. The design of the home is compatible with the neighborhood. It is compatible with the neighborhood because two homes of similar design, located across the street, were approved by the planning commission and built in 2010. This project is smaller in scale than the two existing homes. 2. The proposed design of this home would have less impact on the environment than a one story. A two story structure is appropriate for this location because it allows the structure to follow the existing contours of the terrain resulting in less grading of the property. Further, a one story structure would cover most of the property resulting in unnecessary impervious coverage. 3. The Council should protect private property rights of its citizens. This project meets all existing design/building codes and standards. The denial of this project by the planning commission is arbitrary. Therefore, I request that you vote to overturn the planning commission in support of the homeowner. Thank you for serving our city. Rachel Campagna, Esq. 19511 Glen Una Drive Saratoga CA 95070 CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-‐mail communication may contain CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION and/or otherwise protected by law from disclosure and is intended only for use of the intended recipients named. If you are not the intended recipient of this communication, or the person responsible for delivering this to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that the reading, copying, or distributing of this communication, or any unauthorized review, use, dissemination, downloading, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-‐ mail, or by calling (408) 978-‐0400. Delete this communication and destroy all copies. Please consider the environment before printing this email. Monday, March 31, 2014 9:07:40 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:FW: Planning Commission decision re: 13580 Saratoga Vista Avenue Date:Monday, March 31, 2014 7:33:37 AM Pacific Daylight Time From:Cynthia McCormick <cmccormick@saratoga.ca.us> To:City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> From: Rick Pearce [mailto:pearce4@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, March 28, 2014 11:32 AM To: Cynthia McCormick Subject: Planning Commission decision re: 13580 Saratoga Vista Avenue Dear Ms. McCormick: I am writing you today to express my concern over the recent Planning Commission decision regarding the above-named project. As a Saratoga resident and homeowner, I cannot understand how a project that is already in full compliance with the City Codes and Design Guidelines -- and has demonstrated a willingness to go beyond the codes and guidelines in consideration of the needs of the City and the neighborhood -- could possibly be denied. What purpose do the codes and guidelines -- and the recommendations of the city staff -- serve if this is the case? Who is going to reimburse homeowners for the tremendous expense they go through to follow the recommendations of the city staff and design their projects to these guidelines? As a concerned Saratoga resident and homeowner, I am requesting to have you reconsider this decision in light of the implications it has for ALL of the residents of Saratoga. Thank you, Rick Pearce 408.348.4809 Tuesday, April 1, 2014 8:22:25 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:Proposed Home on 13580 Date:Tuesday, April 1, 2014 7:17:46 AM Pacific Daylight Time From:Marilyn Mason <marmaso@me.com> To:City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> After attending the site visitation, and having gone to the first one as well, it was interesting noting the difference in presentation. Today's had quite a large setup of information to impress the city council, but the "fact" still remains that it is a very imposing structure for the area and Ravi's neighboring home. Timeline pointed to 5 or 6 other places not too nearby that had worse views and impacts on their neighbors, which does not make them justified, or have anything to do with making it right for this building to have the same effect. What about all of the homes that are done in wonderful proportions and view sightlines that are built all the time? I find it hard to understand when the Planning Commission spent a lot of time and ruled against the proposed structure, how the City Council could find enough new information to be in favor of it. a concerned neighbor, Marilyn Mason Wednesday, April 2, 2014 10:55:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:Saratoga Vista Ave new house proposal Date:Wednesday, April 2, 2014 10:53:49 AM Pacific Daylight Time From:dianeporternet@comcast.net <dianeporternet@comcast.net> To:City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> Hello, I'm a neighbor on Saratoga Vista Ave. and have already written a letter with my objections to the new house proposed on our street. I'm just emailing again to say that I can't be there tonight, but would still like to oppose the plan. The planning department should see that this particular property is on a steep slope and as such is not appropriate for a two story house. The houses across the street are nestled in a low spot and this new one would not be. The lot is large and there must be better design options for this builder to use. Thanks, Diane Porter 13777 Saratoga Vista Ave. Wednesday, April 2, 2014 5:16:46 PM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:19580 Saratoga Vista Ave Date:Wednesday, April 2, 2014 4:40:55 PM Pacific Daylight Time From:Tim Henderson <tim@cypress-‐re.com> To:Cynthia McCormick <cmccormick@saratoga.ca.us>, City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> CC:Matthew Harrigan <mharrigan@tldesign.net> Priority:High Dear Ms. McCormick: I am writing you today to express my concern over the recent Planning Commission decision regarding the above-named project. As a Saratoga resident, on and off since 1980, I cannot understand how a project that is already in full compliance with the City Codes and Design Guidelines -- and has demonstrated a willingness to go beyond the codes and guidelines in consideration of the needs of the City and the neighborhood -- could possibly be denied. What purpose do the codes and guidelines -- and the recommendations of the city staff -- serve if this is the case? Who is going to reimburse homeowners for the tremendous expense they go through to follow the recommendations of the city staff and design their projects to these guidelines? As a concerned Saratoga resident, I am requesting to have you reconsider this decision in light of the implications it has for ALL of the residents of Saratoga. Let me close by re-iterating the concerns I shared with you at the site meeting on Monday – this recent decision by the planning commission feels arbitrary and capricious. I encourage the City Council to make the correct decision and approve this project as shown. Thank you, Tim Henderson Partner, Cypress Group direct 408.867.8813 cell 408.529.9651 email tim@cypress-re.com 20640 Third St, # 600 Saratoga CA 95070 Wednesday, April 2, 2014 10:52:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time Page 1 of 1 Subject:13580 Saratoga Vista Project Date:Wednesday, April 2, 2014 10:47:41 AM Pacific Daylight Time From:Zari Mohazzab <zmohazzab@yahoo.com> To:City Clerk [Crystal Bothelio] <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us> Hello, I disagree with building two stories in this slopped lot. The plan shows many windows in the second floor. We live across from these house and these windows are privacy issues for us. Thanks, Zari