Moraga Planning Commission, May 20, 2025
The commission heard a variance and administrative design review application for a 124-square-foot addition at 1401 Reimer Drive and continued the item to its July 1st, 2025 meeting.
2 h 03 min in session · date on the body’s own agenda listing
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Posted as “Moraga Planning Commission Meeting - May 20, 2025”
The meeting, in short
The commission heard a variance and administrative design review application for a 124-square-foot addition at 1401 Reimer Drive and continued the item to its July 1st, 2025 meeting. 10:54
Written by one AI reader from the transcript and checked against it by a second, which read every line it cites. An independent reader checked 122 summary lines from across the site against their full meetings: 122 were right.
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What members said, in order
I have a question. Um, when we were going through our general plan update last year, I think it was last year, did we, did we talk about setbacks? Was that addressed at all? Were there discussions had?Nicholas Polsky · Commissioner19:33
I for the life of me can't remember a staff recommendation, a project getting this far with a staff recommendation to, uh, for denial, what process did staff go through to work with the applicant to find an alternative that staff could support?Ben Helber · Commissioner21:55
Sure, I'll go next. Um, thanks, Commissioner Polsky. So, um, just a few things. You know, since being on the Planning Commission, um, since 2021, this, this is the first time that I recall them actually denying any type of addition. So that's, that's, uh, that, that stands out.Marcus Bode · Vice Chair51:52
We would need to find a mitigating circumstance to address each one of those variance rules, right? That's essentially what we're going to have to do here, okay, if, if we want to move forward with this.Marcus Bode · Vice Chair54:05
I think it's on. They'll come and yell at me if it's not. I stated before when we were asking staff, I can't recall the last time we had an application come that wasn't supported by staff and they haven't worked it out. And having reviewed the plans and heard everything tonight, I think I see why.Ben Helber · Commissioner1:00:28
I just think that moving forward with okaying a 7-foot setback means opening up the entire town of anything at this zoning to a 7-foot setback.Kayce Rane · Commissioner1:09:24
I don't think we're creating any precedent other than if somebody came in with the similar justifications, if we proceed with this, that we would treat them the same way. And I believe this is a very unique lot that we would very much treat if there were another lot that were like this the same way.Ben Helber · Commissioner1:10:27
Through the chair, we just updated our general plan for the next 20 years, so I don't think it's coming for another 19.Nicholas Polsky · Commissioner1:17:45
Well, through the chair, I think it's a reasonable exercise, and I think it's one that they've done, but I also think that it just feels silly for us to sit here and try and fit like a square peg in a round hole when we have the ability. It's, it's 124 square feet.Nicholas Polsky · Commissioner1:50:34
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Members we named
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Of the speech we named for Marcus Bode here:
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Of the speech we named for Kayce Rane here:
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Of the speech we named for William Weber here:
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