La Caada officials talk neighborhood aesthetics

Faced with a light summer agenda Monday night, the La Caada Flintridge City Council sought to refine city development standards alongside Planning Commission members and later denied a Glendale resident's claim the city violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In a special joint meeting with the city's Planning Commission prior to its regular meeting, the council discussed a recent van tour in which members from both panels journeyed through La Caada looking for examples of where home-design mandates might be clearer or better applied.

Topics of concern included regulations regarding basement additions and the construction of light wells around basement windows, whether accent turrets on single-story homes should ever be a part of the city's second-floor review process and what constitutes a neighborhood when considering aesthetic compatibility.

Robert Stanley, director of community development, showed photographs of homes approved by the Planning Commission. Some showed neighborhood consistency done well, while others demonstrated a need for further improvement.

One example a two-story on Hillard Avenue surrounded by single-story, mid-century homes raised the question of whether "neighborhood" consists of homes on a single street, or the larger surrounding area.

Council members agreed there was no easy answer, especially if today's determinations failed to hold up tomorrow.

"We've always said (just) because it's a street of single-story homes, that doesn't mean it's going to stay that way," Councilwoman Laura Olhasso said.

Mayor Mike Davitt agreed it was difficult to legislate continuity.

"To me, you're going down a slippery slope when you try to define a neighborhood," Davitt said.

During the regular meeting, Council members heard comments from Carole Weling, a Glendale resident with grievances about La Caada's general noncompliance with state and federal laws passed to accommodate individuals with disabilities.

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La Caada officials talk neighborhood aesthetics