In an effort to ensure a committee reviewing large additions and new single-family home projects is able to hold regular meetings and conduct efficient reviews, San Carlos officials approved a change in the committee’s composition Monday.
Councilmembers voted 3-1 to change the Residential Design Review Committee’s make-up to include a planning commissioner, community member with professional design experience and appointed by the City Council and an architect or licensed design professional under contract with the city. Councilman Matt Grocott recused himself from the discussion out of a concern his home and remodeling business could be affected by the changes.
Under the current committee composition, a council-appointed architect or design professional would join planning commissioner and a resident volunteer, also appointed by the council in reviewing new homes, additions that create residences great than 3,000 square feet on lots less than 7,500 square feet and projects on sloped residential lots.
The new committee standards would also include a provision for the city to contract with an additional architect or licensed design professional who could serve as an alternate for the committee if the community member is not able to attend a meeting or the vacancy for the spot is not filled.
Aimed at ensuring the quorum of two is met at the committee’s biweekly meetings and that those serving have experience and knowledge needed to review detailed project plans, the changes may help the Residential Design Review Committee, or RDRC, avoid canceled meetings and project delays as applicants await a future meeting, said Community Development Director Al Savay.
“We’ve had some vacancies and some absences that have been a real problem for the RDRC and we’ve had to cancel a number of meetings this last year,” he said, according to a video of the meeting.
Councilman Mark Olbert, who voted against the change, asked Savay if requiring the community volunteer to have design experience would narrow the pool of interested candidates, noting the difficulties the city has had in recruiting residents to serve on the committee. Olbert compared resident volunteers who serve on the committee to councilmembers, who are not experts in the wide range of decisions they make but use their judgment of expert recommendations to weigh in on discussions of them.
To be able to respond effectively to concerns aired at RDRC meetings, Savay said committee members with professional design experience may be able to leverage their knowledge to come up with changes that conform to the city’s zoning code and improve the project design, whereas those without experience may not know which questions to ask an applicant’s architect or to advocate for specific changes. Savay acknowledged the successes design professionals on the committee have had in asking architects to adjust plans to better fit with a neighborhood.
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“You’ve got to have somebody on that side of the table that understands that even though it conforms to the zoning code, you can improve on the design if there’s an issue that comes up at the hearing,” he said.
Resident Bonnie McClure, who has served on the RDRC alongside Planning Commissioner Don Bradley, said she was among those who urged planning commissioners to recommend councilmembers include another professional on the committee, noting the time it takes for those without experience to understand project plans. She acknowledged licensed professionals may be able to figure out how changes to a project can be made to fit within its many parameters more easily than someone who is less familiar with the industry.
“It’s so much easier if someone has design experience,” she said. “It’s very disappointing when you have to spent six months to get somebody trained to do the job.”
Councilman Ron Collins asked Savay if he felt the change would address criticisms raised about the RDRC in recent discussions about proposed changes to the city’s residential zoning code aimed at addressing concerns about the size and scale of new home projects in San Carlos neighborhoods. Savay said concerns the committee may have “rubber stamped” projects in the past could be allayed by the changes since those with experience may have ideas on how projects could be shaped within the city’s zoning requirements. City Manager Jeff Maltbie added some of the frustration residents have had at RDRC committee meetings is directed toward what is allowed within the city’s zoning code rather than the committee’s decisions, which must follow the city’s rules.
Though Mayor Bob Grassilli voiced concern the alternate architect on contract with the city would end up serving on the committee if a resident is not able to attend or fill the seat, he said he felt comfortable trying the new arrangement and making changes later if it’s not working.
Olbert wasn’t convinced having two architects and a planning commissioner would address concerns about the committee and said he thought if residents with no experience were empowered to review projects, more experts might not be needed.
“I really hope that whatever we do … perhaps do some training with our commissioners, to remind them they are empowered even if they are not experts to force the experts to do what they think make sense,” he said.
[rolleyes] It's always Olbert that has to be different. Always yakking away and not making any contributions to a topic by making excessive comments. I wonder if he even cares about what's best for the community.
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[rolleyes] It's always Olbert that has to be different. Always yakking away and not making any contributions to a topic by making excessive comments. I wonder if he even cares about what's best for the community.
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