Second story a sign of times

Lolita Harper

Planning commissioners gave a glowing recommendation to a

second-story addition for an Eastside home Monday night, saying they

understood that younger families needed more space than 50-year-old

architecture allows for.

Steven Dewan, who owns a modest house on Broadway, brought with

him a small army of supporters to City Hall to convince commissioners

to approve his designs for additional space. His previous request had

been denied by city Zoning Administrator Perry Valantine.

Speaker after speaker -- many of whom had youthful faces and said

they could identify with Dewan -- called attention to an imminent

transition period in the city.

Anne Gifford, who owns a neighboring property, said the homes in

the quaint Eastside neighborhood were designed for very young

families in the late 1940s, but did not meet the needs of modern

families.

“Things have changed since then,” said Gifford, who is also a

planning commissioner in Newport Beach.

Neighbor Lance Moore agreed, saying the city is bound to see an

increase in the same type of requests.

“The whole Eastside of Costa Mesa is in a transition

architecturally because they are very rough homes,” Moore said.

Planning Commissioner Bruce Garlich agreed the city was changing

and said the contentious issue is not going away. Garlich said he

personally believes the commission cannot blatantly disregard any

two-story additions because they are surrounded by one-story houses.

Additions are allowed by city codes as long as the construction and

architecture falls in line with the area.

“The fact that a neighborhood is predominantly one-story would not

leave me to believe that it is not harmonious and compatible,” he

said.

Costa Mesa resident Michael Hutchinson was one of two audience

members who expressed concerns with the proposed construction.

Hutchinson made mention to a possible “zoning overlay zone” being

considered by the City Council, which would make uniform allowed

designs for second-story additions in a specific tract on the

Eastside. The same tract the Dewans live in.

Hutchinson asked that Dewan’s plan be put on hold until the city

makes a decision on the possible zoning change.

Planning Commission Chairwoman Katrina Foley reminded Hutchinson

that the law only allowed the commission to make decisions on enacted

codes, not anticipated ones.

“There is no authority for the Planning Commission to consider an

overlay zone until the City Council has enacted one,” Foley said,

adding later that the council should make it a high priority to

settle the overlay zoning issue.

Planning Commissioners ultimately voted 4 to 0, with commissioner

Bill Perkins absent, to reverse Valantine’s original denial.

Veteran Planning Commissioner Walt Davenport called Dewan’s design

one of the best he had seen.

“I think to deny this [plan] virtually denies a second story on

this part of the city, because I can’t imagine anything better,”

veteran Planning Commissioner Walt Davenport said. “It would be a

crime to force someone who needed this additional space to do so on

the ground.”

“I don’t see how we could do anything different,” Garlich said.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at [email protected].