Monster Home on Saratoga Planners Agenda Tonight?

The Saratoga Planning Commission meets tonight at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 9, at the Civic Theatre/Council Chambers, 13777 Fruitvale Ave., to discuss the following:

Applicants D&Z Design/Satish and Smita Dharmaran are requesting design review approval for a two-story 6,450-square-foot home and 884-square-foot detached guest house at 12943 Pierce Rd.

The existing home and accessory structures will be removed for a net gain in floor area of 252 square feet over what currently exists. 

Staff is recommending approval of the mansion on a 73,636-square-foot property that's one-third of a mile west of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road.

The property is currently developed with a 4,019 square foot single-story home with attached garage and 3,007 square feet of detached accessory structures, all of which will be demolished.

The property is also surrounded by numerous trees providing privacy screening to adjacent properties, according to a staff report.

The residence will also have a pavilion and pool in the back yard and the front yard will be landscaped with a Koi pond surrounded by a decorative ring matrix composed of grass and concrete.

The site will be accessed via a circular driveway behind a wrought iron fence with stone pillars and vehicle gate that is setback 20 feet from the street pavement, the report indicated.

The home has been designed with a stucco exterior, stone accents, clay tile roof, and wrought iron railings. The guest house and pavilion will be designed to match the new home, the report noted.

However, 16 trees protected by city code are requested for removal to construct the project. They meet the criteria for removal, and shall be replaced with new trees equal to their total appraised value.

Four residents, too, have expressed concern about the project. The neighbor to the right of the property has concerns regarding privacy impacts from the second story bathroom window overlooking their backyard and pool.

This window has been obscured, minimizing privacy impacts, the report indicated.

The neighbor to the left is worried about the location of the air conditioning unit and the height of the master bath window. The air conditioning unit is located behind a 42-foot-high wall and setback approximately 30 feet from the left side property line where 20 feet is required, minimizing potential noise impacts.

The neighbor across the street is concerned about the location of the driveway egress facing their property and consolidation of the mailboxes. The two properties are separated by Pierce Road, a 40-foot wide collector road.