Two large home projects get thumbs down from La Jolla planners

Development projects that went before the La Jolla Community Planning Association during its May 4 meeting faced a variety of fates: One got a “no” vote after a subcommittee approved it and two more were voted on without a full review.

Here’s a look at what transpired.

Castellana residence

In a reversal of its Development Permit Review Committee’s findings, LJCPA voted to oppose a plan to build a three-story, 10,120-square-foot house on a vacant lot on Castellana Road in the Country Club area.

During the project’s first review in February, applicant representative Jennifer Bolyn said the location is “a pretty narrow street” on a “challenging site.” But she added that only 6,292 square feet would be above ground and therefore contribute to the floor area ratio, or size of the house in relation to its lot.

She said the frontage would have terraces and trellises to break up the project’s massing and that the proposal is within allowable heights.

A rendering of a proposed Castellana Road residence is presented to the La Jolla Community Planning Association.

(Photo by Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

The DPR Committee voted to support the project in March, despite neighbors’ concerns about the height, the square footage included in the FAR measurement, how the size of the house would relate to its neighbors, how excavation for the garage would affect surrounding houses and more.

At the LJCPA meeting, residents spoke out against the development, also citing its size and saying the aesthetics would be different from the other houses in the neighborhood.

LJCPA trustee Patrick Ahern said “part of the issue is, the home starts right at the street, whereas some of the other homes are set back a bit and the scale is smaller.”

He cited La Jolla Community Plan sections that suggest “harmonious visual relationship … between new and old development.”

The board voted 8-3 to oppose the project, with trustee Brian Will — the DPR chairman — dissenting along with Brian Williams and Suzanne Baracchini. Trustees Lisa Kriedeman, Jodi Rudick and LJCPA President Harry Bubbins abstained without comment.

Havenhurst Point

In ratifying DPR findings, the LJCPA board voted to oppose a project that calls for demolition of an approximately 3,000-square-foot single-family residence and construction of a 12,979-square-foot, three-story single-family house at 812 Havenhurst Point.

During previous hearings, neighbors opposed to the development contended the new house would be the largest on the block and inconsistent with existing homes.

The architectural team and applicant representative were not at the May LJCPA meeting, thus there was not a presentation about the project. The board quickly voted 12-1 against it, with Will opposed.

Members of the La Jolla Community Planning Association meet May 4 at The Bishop’s School.

(Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

Eads Avenue

LJCPA voted to support a proposal to add a new garage, an accessory dwelling unit and a junior ADU to a single-family residence at 7443 Eads Ave. in The Village, though no presentation was given about it.

The project was removed last month from the board’s consent agenda — on which items are approved without discussion — for a full presentation this month. Anyone can anonymously request that a project be pulled from the consent agenda for any reason, but no one at the May 4 meeting could speak to why the Eads Avenue item was pulled.

Thus, less than a minute after applicant representative Claude-Anthony Marengo set up for a presentation, a motion to approve the project passed unanimously.

That led to a discussion of whether and how the board’s bylaws could be amended so the reasons something is pulled from the consent agenda are included so the applicant can address those issues in a presentation. Bubbins agreed to consider revising the bylaws to address that in coming months.

Next meeting: The La Jolla Community Planning Association next meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at a location to be determined. An agenda will be posted 72 hours in advance at lajollacpa.org. ◆