SUBJECT: 21 GILMARTIN DRIVE; FILE # 702016

SITE PLAN AND ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW FOR A NEW SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING

The applicant is requesting Design Review approval for the construction of a new two-story single-family dwelling on property located at 21 Gilmartin Drive. The subject property is currently vacant.

The lower level of the proposed house would include a living room, dining room, family room, kitchen, and one half bathroom. The upper level would include a master bedroom suite, three additional bedrooms and bathrooms, and a study. An attached two car garage would be situated adjacent to the upper level, and a detached one-car garage with a rooftop deck would be constructed on a lower portion of the site. Three chimneys and five skylights would be installed as part of this home.

The proposed house would cover 3,400 square feet (20.5%) of the site. The floor area of the proposed house would be 3,660 square feet, which is the maximum floor area permitted for a lot of this size.

A color and materials board has been submitted, and will be present at the meeting for the Board to review. The structure would be finished with light colored wood siding with green trim. Dark gray roof shingles would be installed.

The subject property generally slopes down to the south. The proposed finished site configuration would create a terraced lot below the level of the recently finished adjacent home to the north at 31 Gilmartin Drive. The house would also be situated below the level of other residences across the street from the site.

The proposed house would be most noticeable from the home at 31 Gilmartin Drive. The house would be clearly visible from the living room, kitchen and bedrooms of this house that face to the south. This adjacent home has a relatively panoramic view of Richardson Bay, Sausalito and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Most of the proposed house would extend slightly into the foreground view of the neighboring uphill residence, blocking the lower portion of the water view from this adjacent home. The roofline of the originally proposed house included a portion above the master bedroom suite that would have had an elevation of 121.5 feet, or 3.5 feet taller than the prevailing upper floor ridgeline. This taller portion of the house would have obstructed substantially more of view of Richardson Bay from the living room and kitchen of the neighboring residence than the lower (118 foot) portion of the proposed roofline. The applicant has now revised the design of the proposed house with a consistent ridgeline of 118, eliminating the taller roofline area above the master bedroom suite.

The following portions of the Hillside Design Guidelines should be used to determine if the proposed project would result in significant view impacts on the neighboring home at 31 Gilmartin Drive:

Goal 3, Principle 7 (A) of the Guidelines states that the "view protection is more important for major ‘ceremonial’ rooms (living, dining, kitchen, deck) than for secondary rooms (bedroom, bathrooms, family room, etc.)." The proposed construction would be most visible from the living room and kitchen of the adjacent home.

Goal 3, Principle 7 (B) of the Guidelines states that the "horizon line is [the] most sensitive part of the view, then foreground, then middleground." The proposed construction would be situated in the foreground when viewed from the neighboring uphill residence.

Goal 3, Principle 7 (C) states that the "blockage of center of view [is] more damaging than blockage of side of view." The proposed construction would be situated in the center of the view from the neighboring home.

Goal 3, Principle 7 (D) states that "blockage of important objects in the view (Golden Gate Bridge, Belvedere Lagoon, Sausalito, Angel Island) is more difficult to accept than blockage of other, less well-known landmarks." The proposed construction would not block the view of any significant objects, including existing views of Sausalito and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Goal 3, Principle 7 (E) states that "a wide panoramic view can accept more view blockage than the smaller slot view." As noted above, the adjacent home has a relatively panoramic view that would remain essentially intact after the construction of the proposed structure.

The applicant has submitted information detailing attempts to work with the neighboring property owner to resolve this potential view conflict. The owners of the home at 31 Gilmartin Drive have submitted a letter and photographs regarding the potential view blockage addressed above, and have indicated to Staff that they are continuing to meet with the applicant to attempt to reach a compromise regarding the building design.

The Design Review Board is encouraged to visit the home at 31 Gilmartin Drive to more thoroughly evaluate the potential view and visual impacts which may be caused by the proposed construction.

1. Conditions of approval

2. Application and supplemental materials

3. Goal 3, Principles 7 (A, B, C, D & E) of the Hillside Design Guidelines

4. Letter from Paul Kaehler, dated April 16, 2002

5. Letter from Don and Holly Pruett, dated August 28, 2002

6. Submitted plans

1. This approval shall be used within three (3) years of the approval date, and shall become null and void unless a building permit has been issued.

2. The development of this project shall conform with the application dated by the Town of Tiburon on February 13, 2002, or as amended by these conditions of approval. Any modifications to the plans of August 29, 2002, must be reviewed and approved by the Design Review Board.

3.    Plans submitted to the Building Department for plan check shall be identical to those approved by the Design Review Board. If any changes are made to the approved Design Review plans, the permit holder is responsible for clearly identifying all such changes when submitted to the Building Department for plan check. Such changes must be clearly highlighted (with a "bubble" or "cloud") on the submitted plans. A list describing in detail all such changes shall be submitted and attached to the building plans, with a signature block to be signed by the Design Review Staff member indicating that these changes have been reviewed and are approved, or require additional Design Review. All changes that have not been explicitly approved by Staff as part of the Building Plan Check process are not approved. Construction that does not have Design Review approval is not valid and shall be subject to stop work orders and may require removal.

4.    The applicant must meet all requirements of other agencies prior to the issuance of a building permit for this project.

5.    All skylights shall be bronzed or tinted and no lights shall be placed in the wells.

6.    All exterior lighting fixtures other than those approved by the Design Review Board must be down light type fixtures.

7.    Prior to the issuance of building permits, the applicant shall submit verification from a licensed landscape architect that the proposed landscape plan conforms to M.M.W.D. landscape regulations, as required by Town Council Ordinance.

8.    Prior to the issuance of final building inspection approval, all landscaping and irrigation shall be installed in accordance with approved plans. The installation of plantings and irrigation shall be verified by a Planning Department field inspection prior to the issuance of occupancy permits.

9.    Prior to underfloor inspection, a certified survey of the structure foundation will be required. Required documents shall include graphic documentation locating the building on a site plan and including specific dimensions from property lines and other reference points as appropriate, and elevations relative to sea level of the foundation walls and slabs. No inspections will be provided until the survey results have been verified.

10.    The project shall comply with the following requirements of the Tiburon Fire Protection District:

The structure shall have installed throughout an automatic fire sprinkler system in accordance with NFPA standard 13-D (UFC 1003).

Approved smoke alarms shall be installed to provide protection to all sleeping areas (UBC 1210).

Approved spark arresters shall be installed on chimneys (UFC 1101).

A greenbelt shall be provided by cutting and clearing all combustible vegetation within 30 feet of the structure (UFC 1103).

The following requirements of the Marin Municipal Water District shall be met: