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Tag Archives: Berkeley Zoning Adjustment Board
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 »
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