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Vice Mayor Howard said she believed a duplex would be more acceptable on that property "in keeping with the existing character of the neighborhood, rather than promoting something that would generate a large group of applications, possibly, that would totally change the character of this neighborhood." Councilman Claire said he would feel more comfortable if the Architectural Advisory Committee could review this project, and if the Planning Commission and HHCC were ready to approve guidelines for additional housing units. In response to Council questions, Senior Planner Jany described the applications for duplexes and accessory dwellings, etc. since the City changed its requirements in the 1970's and in 1994; neighbors complaints about traffic, although he personally had not seen parking problems; an update on the Planning Commission and HHCC's progress on increasing ways to provide more housing units; and the variance process that excludes architectural review. Senior Planner Jany insisted that staff had no problem with this particular design, but based its denial of the variance on the three legal issues for granting a variance as described in the Findings. He said the impact on land use was the issue in this case. Design was never an issue. Councilwoman La Berge expressed her concerns regarding the movement of cars on such a narrow property and the resulting problems with ingress and egress onto the street. Mayor Hartnett described the Council's options. MIS: LA BERGEIHOW ARD TO DENY THE APPEAL OF THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR'S DENIAL OF A VARIANCE TO ALLOW A TRIPLEX AT 704 VERA AVENUE, REDWOOD CITY. Mayor Hartnett agreed with his colleagues that this was a particularly difficult decision because "the people who wish to build are exactly the people who you wish would build in our community. That is, people who have roots here, people who intend to stay here, and people who wish to have quality in what they build and where they live. The kind of people we want to encourage in our City. They have come up against an Ordinance and policies of the City that relate to preserving single family character of neighborhoods where that is possible, and the possibility that if the variance requested is granted which by its nature is granting something exceptional, then that opens the opportunity for others in a concentrated area to feel that they would have a right as I think they may well have under similar circumstances, to build something as well. That would have an impact on the community cumulatively, far in excess of what the individual opportunity presents. Because of that and not because of the quality of the applicant or the design they might have, I am going to have to vote to support the motion to deny the appeal." REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 55 JANUARY 27, 1997 MINUTES PAGE 9 page No. 112