Menlo Park: Council seeks to drop permit rule for some additions Menlo Park: Council seeks to drop permit rule for some additions (September 29, 2004)

By Rebecca Wallace
Almanac Staff Writer

With other projects chomping up time and resources, Menlo Park's City Council has decided not to take on the hot topic of home-building rules again for the moment.

Except for one small detail.

Councilwoman Mickie Winkler has suggested making life easier for applicants by streamlining the approval process for single-story additions to homes. These are typically less controversial than second-story additions, which neighbors can see as looming and intrusive.

The use-permit requirement would be dumped for additions on lots of at least 5,000 square feet, assuming that the home didn't cover more than 35 percent of the lot. If such projects could be approved by city staff and didn't need a Planning Commission nod, Ms. Winkler said, "We could save applicants time and cost."

At the council's September 21 meeting, the vote was unanimous in support of Ms. Winkler's idea. The change is far from set in stone; the amendment would need to be fleshed out and brought back to the council.

Despite the unanimous vote, Councilman Paul Collacchi voiced some trepidation.

"One-story homes can also have impacts," he said. "Neighbors of one-story homes shouldn't have to sacrifice their voice (in a Planning Commission hearing)."

"Reasonable conditions" and changes to a project often come from the commission, Mr. Collacchi added after the meeting.

Meanwhile, the council decided to hold off on the daunting prospect of revamping Menlo Park's residential zoning rules, choosing to take up the matter again in January, when the council typically sets priorities for the coming budget year.

City staff members already have a heavy workload, including streamlining the permit process for businesses and studying the best uses of land in areas such as Haven Avenue, community development director Arlinda Heineck said.

"I'm not willing to put anything on hold this year," Mayor Lee Duboc said.

The Planning Commission was on hand September 21 to discuss home-building rules with the council. Some members agreed that crafting new rules should wait, while others said it should be a priority and start right away.

In the last two years, different councils have passed two broad-based plans for overhauling the city's regulations for new single-family homes and major remodels. Both were contentious and ultimately rescinded.

Some residents say the rules need to be changed to protect against outsized homes. Others say the current approval process is unfair and confusing to navigate.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.