Tag Archives: 2707 Rose Street
Mitch Kapor’s Berkeley home: The debate continues
This last few days, Berkeleyside’s inbox has been filling up with copies of letters from north Berkeley neighbors — addressed to Councilmembers and/or the city’s Mayor — opposed to the construction of a new home at 2707 Rose Street, the application for which, made by Mitch Kapor, has been approved by Berkeley’s planning board, but which is being appealed.
If this isn’t a saga, we don’t know what is. But it’s a live issue here in our city which many people feel strongly about. Hence our commitment to covering it as best we can. Here’s the story so far:
On January 28, Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustment Board approved a plan submitted on behalf of Mitchell Kapor to build a new home at 2707 Rose Street. The approval is being appealed. The zoning board is due to hear the appeal on April 27.
Berkeleyside first drew attention to this issue on January 25. The original application can be viewed here and drawings associated with the application can be seen here. The full appeal can be viewed here. We published an explanation of the thinking behind the appeal, written by architect Gary Parsons, here.
A group of neighbors supports Mitch Kapor’s proposed home. You can read about their views here. These views are challenged by another group of neighbors, whose opinions can be read here.
The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) is supporting the appeal. Read BAHA President Daniella Thompson’s letter outlining BAHA’s stand here.
The letters we have received in the past few days touch on a variety of issues. Eight are published below (and you’ll understand if, for space reasons, we put a page break in this post).
Also worth noting: Berkeleyside has been in touch with Mitch Kapor himself who says he will not be making a comment at the moment as he doesn’t have anything to add to what Susan and Paul Opsvig, his potential immediate neighbors, and his architects, Donn Logan and Marcy Wong, have already contributed to Berkeleyside. … Continue reading »
Neighbors v. neighbors in Mitch Kapor home case
One group of neighbors is pitted against another in an ongoing discussion about a proposal by software mogul Mitch Kapor to build a new home at 2707 Rose Street. The plan has been rubber-stamped by the city. But an appeal looms on April 27.
On March 15 we published a letter from a group of immediate and adjacent neighbors to the property expressing its “strong support” for the proposed project. They included a letter written by architect Marcy Wong whose firm, Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects, designed the blueprints for the proposed home (model pictured above).
Today we publish a letter and “rebuttal” from another group of Berkeley neighbors who have objections to the issues she raises therein. [For the back story, and for links to the plans and appeal documents, skip to the end.]
2707 Rose Street
A Letter from Appellants
March 27, 2010
Since January, we’ve kept in touch with more than fifty neighbors about the 2707 Rose Street project. Many of them wrote letters of concern to the Zoning Adjustments Board back in January. Thirty-four people signed the appeal. Of those, all but four are residents of the neighborhood.
We are a pretty diverse group, but from the time we first learned about the proposal we’ve shared a concern about the way the project was handled. After the Zoning Adjustments Board, in a surprising departure from usual practice, ignored our request for a continuance and story poles and approved this uniquely massive residential structure, we had no alternative but to appeal. Subsequent study of the architect’s submitted documents and the planning staff material have yielded all manner of errors, inconsistencies, and unsupportable conclusions.
This is not a neighborhood fight. Our appeal challenged the process and the application; it did not challenge neighbors who might not share our views. … Continue reading »
Neighbors express support for 2707 Rose Street home
On January 28, Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustment Board approved a plan submitted on behalf of Mitchell Kapor to build a new home at 2707 Rose Street (model pictured left). The approval is being appealed.
Berkeleyside first drew attention to this issue on January 25. We published an explanation of the thinking behind the appeal, written by architect Gary Parsons, here.The original application can be viewed here and drawings associated with the application can be seen here. The full appeal can be viewed here. The zoning board is due to hear the appeal on April 27th.
A group of immediate and adjacent neighbors to the property at 2707 Rose Street has written a letter expressing its “strong support” for the proposed project. We publish it today. Following the letter is a letter written by architect Marcy Wong whose firm, Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects, created the designs for the proposed new home. At the request of the signatories to the letter below, Wong has responded to specific assertions made in the appeal to show, in her words, that they are erroneous.
March 10, 2010
Re: 2707 Rose Street
Dear Friends and Neighbors
We are a group of four families who are all the immediately adjacent neighbors to the property at 2707 Rose Street, where a new house is proposed to be built. The purpose of this letter is to let the neighborhood know of our strong support for the proposed project, and the reasons for it. We are communicating with you, the larger neighborhood, because we are concerned about the unity of the neighborhood and harmony among its residents, and believe that this project deserves to be supported.
A year ago we all received a letter from Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein, the new property owners, asking if they could introduce themselves and describe their plans to build a house immediately adjacent to us, on Rose St. We met them, and later with their architects to review their design. We informed them of long standing problems with the property, and gave our own suggestions about what was needed to be done to resolve these issues while maintaining our own privacy. Mitch and Freada were exceptionally collaborative, responsive and sensitive to our concerns and issues.
Over a month ago, their initial proposal was approved by Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustment Board (ZAB) (7 for, 1 abstention, 1 absent), a necessary step for all new house construction. However, an appeal against the ZAB approval was then filed, and signed by people who live beyond our immediate street. The appeal raises concerns both about the project and the City’s process. From what we see, the eight month City Zoning process, preceded by the five months of working with the neighbors, was neither short nor deficient but rather, complete and proper. The project is completely in keeping with the standards of the City Zoning Ordinance, blocks no protected views and poses no other detriments. In fact it provides amenities and improvements valuable to the neighborhood, such as the extensive landscaping, a turn-around on Rose Street, and ample off street parking. … Continue reading »
Date set for appeal on Mitch Kapor’s Rose St home
The appeal against the city-approved plan to build a new, contemporary home at 2707 Rose Street will be presented in a hearing on April 27. The authors of the appeal have just seven minutes to make their case.
The appeal concerns the application made by Lotus founder Mitch Kapor to build a new 6,478 sq ft home, and 10-car garage, on the property he owns at 2707 Rose Street in north Berkeley. Berkeleyside broke the … Continue reading »
Comment: Why Berkeley must revisit its approval for new home construction on Rose Street
On January 28, Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustment Board approved an application to build a new home at 2707 Rose Street (rendering above). The application was made by Mitchell Kapor, the founder of Lotus Development Corporation, and would involve the demolition of a 2,477 sq ft home and three outbuildings currently on the property. Below, Gary Parsons explains why he believes the approval should be … Continue reading »
Modern moves afoot on Rose Street
Rose Street residents in north Berkeley will be interested to hear the outcome of a zoning hearing taking place on Thursday this week which will determine whether a home in their vicinity will get the OK to be demolished and replaced with a considerably larger one.
Lotus founder, philanthropist and angel investor Mitchell Kapor is behind the application which, if successful, would see a modern, 6,478 sq ft home replace the existing 2-story 2,477 sq ft … Continue reading »
