La Jolla DPR committee reviews two projects for Herschel, Fay avenues

By Ashley Mackin

Two projects came before the Development Permit Review (DPR) committee meeting March 18 — one for a preliminary review and the other hoping for a final review.

■ The preliminary project calls for demolishing an existing residence and constructing a two-unit, three-story condominium building at 7452 Herschel Ave. Representing applicant Daniel Linn, development feasibility analyst Joe LaCava started his presentation with a discussion of context.

Calling the 7400 block of Herschel Avenue “a unique block in our community,” LaCava said it has the highest residential density allowed in La Jolla. Several buildings surrounding the 3,200-square-foot property are high-density condos.

Despite the high-density allowance, the number of units and floor-area ratio (FAR) proposed in the new project is less than what is permitted by the La Jolla Community Plan and the zoning laws for that area. Per the Community Plan, three units are allowed on the lot, the project proposes two.

Similarly, a FAR of 1.8 is allowed, and 1.49 is proposed.

The building is also 30 feet tall with a flat roof to comply with zoning regulations.

Because there are buildings on three sides of the lot, limiting what is visible from the street, “we wanted to create something that had a little more appeal on the streetscape,” LaCava said. Proposed is an exterior of stained-wood siding, a non- reflective aluminum roof of

polished or buffed silver color, stucco and trees that are suggested in the Community Plan.

To show scale and relationship to the neighborhood, LaCava and Linn presented photos of the street with the proposed structure digitally implanted to scale to show the building’s height as it compares to neighboring buildings in either direction.

Linn said the windows could be partially opened for ventilation but would be clouded for privacy. However, for the upper floors, the windows do not face any immediately adjacent neighbors because nothing else is that high, so privacy is less of an issue.

However, the DPR committee questioned whether the windows would be transparent or translucent, and requested samples of the glass and an elevation study showing the window placement at the interior elevations of the lot in relation to neighboring buildings.

The applicants agreed to provide the elevation study, as well as a material sample board for the standing seam metal, wood and stucco; and to consider alternatives for the treatment of the cement-paved driveway, at the next meeting.

The DPR committee did not vote on the project at the March 18 meeting.

■ Hoping for a final review, a proposed project for two of three units at 7350-7354 Fay Ave. came before the board. The project would demolish both units at rear of the property (7350 and 7352 Fay Ave.) and build one, three-story unit. The single-family residence at 7354 Fay Ave. would remain.

However, due to inconsistency with the renderings presented, the project could not garner approval. Members noted that some drawings featured a driveway and others did not. Further, plans mentioned a chimney that could not be found on renderings, which were created after the DPR committee reviewed the project in August 2013.

DPR Chair Paul Benton asserted that a licensed architect did not prepare the drawings, which presenter Sharok Eslamian confirmed. The project vote was tabled to a future meeting, pending updated plan renderings.

— DPR committee next meets 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 at La Jolla Rec Center, 615 Prospect St. LaJollaCPA.org