Menlo Watch: Upgrades could be easier in flood areas Menlo Watch: Upgrades could be easier in flood areas (February 16, 2005)

Menlo Park residents living in a flood zone could have an easier time upgrading their homes under a plan coming before the City Council on Tuesday, February 15.

Building an accessory structure in a flood zone currently requires a variance from the Planning Commission, but city staff members recently heard from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that there are circumstances under which the owner wouldn't need a variance, supervising engineer Pat Stone wrote in a staff report.

For example, no variance would be needed if the structure were to be used only for parking or limited storage, and if materials that are resistant to flood damage were used.

For the staff report, go to menlopark.org, click on "City Council" and go to the February 15 agenda. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Menlo Park Senior Center at 110 Terminal Ave.
Two-story addition gets a conditional nod

Despite neighbors' fears that a two-story addition to a La Loma Drive home would be a looming affront to their privacy, the Menlo Park City Council voted 3-2 on February 8 to let the project go ahead.

The council added a condition that the applicants, Robert Carlson and Stacy Starcher, must put louvers on their windows until landscaping has grown high enough to protect neighbors' privacy. Council members Andy Cohen and Kelly Fergusson dissented, voicing concerns that the neighbors' enjoyment of their homes could still be harmed.

The project requires a variance because it encroaches into a required setback. In November, the Planning Commission could not muster a majority vote in favor of the plan or alternatives, so the application was denied. The applicants appealed to the council.
Recycling schedules ready for 2005

Residents of the city of Menlo Park who have BFI service can now receive 2005 schedules for the bi-weekly pick-up of curbside recycling and yard trimmings. Call 592-2411 or go to www.bfisanmateocounty.com for more information. A guide detailing what can be recycled is also available.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.