PPCC Library Integration Test

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George Wolfberg
Re Potrero Canyon CDP Hearings - 15205, 15209,
15213, 15217, 15333, 15329 De Pauw St.
Hearing Officer,
Department of City Planning
I am the chair of the City Council-created Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee.
We held numerous public hearings, as well as a workshop and canyon tours to develop a
proposed plan for the development of a passive park in Potrero Canyon. During walk-
throughs of the canyon we were appalled by the overheight and frankly, ugly walled
backsides of a few homes that had been developed along the canyon rim adjacent to future
trails. The Zoning Administrator soon issued a ZI Bulletin to protect canyon ambience from
such future intrusive developments. This bulletin is noted in ZIMAS and applies to all
properties along the rim of Potrero Canyon.
Here is an excerpt of the pertinent wording from the bulletin:
In designing a development project along the canyon rim properties, the
following guidelines should be considered: Accessory structures are
discouraged; if retaining walls are necessary, they should be low in height; use
a combination of lower retaining walls with open railings or transparent
screening for safety instead of solid walls; increase the number of retaining walls
to create a terracing effect instead of one higher retaining wall; confine project
within the existing graded pad; consult with the Fire Department as to the
appropriate planting palette for a Fuel Modification Zone that would allow for
screening any walls as viewed from the future park; finish retaining walls with
beige or a similar earth-tone color materials to better blend the wall into the
hillside slope; and design any accessory structure to be setback from the toe of
the slope. (The hearing officer should refer developers to the Bureau of
Engineering for the list of acceptable plants for development adjacent to the
park.)
Examples of two houses are presented on the following page.
P.O. Box 3441 • Santa Monica, CA 90408-3441
Hearing Officer, Department of City Planning
High retaining walls spoil the desired park-like ambience. For your consideration, I have
included, below two photos. The first is an exemplar of what should not be allowed in future
canyon development.
In contrast, this Potrero Canyon house meets the spirit of the ZI and the goals of the Coastal
Commission and the Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee members. Low walls,
native vegetation and tasteful pallet.
Thank you for your consideration of these examples which we hope you will use when crafting
your decision regarding the six referenced properties. These comments are my own and I
believe reflective of the sentiment of our dedicated committee members.
Sincerely,
festroefterg
George Wolfberg
03-20-17