1554 Linkside Drive impervious surface variance (Patricia Wallace)

Recommended

no committee or staff recommendation recorded; staff report by Principal Planner Jamieson lays out facts and notes Selva Linkside ARC has approved the applicant's plans.

Debated

The new owner, who purchased in November 2025, discovered the prior owner had illegally paved the entire backyard and walkways without permits, creating a 73.5% impervious surface ratio. Excessive water caused mold, wood rot, and stucco damage; the applicant proposes removing most hardscape, installing permeable pavers in the driveway, replacing backyard pavers with four French drains and permeable gravel, and adding a small spa. The Selva Linkside Architectural Review Committee approved the plans; however, a variance is still required because even after all remediation, the lot will sit at 50.6% impervious — 5.6 points above the 45% city maximum. The "clean-up-someone-else's-mess" framing is strong — this is a new homeowner asking for relief to fix a prior owner's code violation, not to add coverage.

Decided

minutes do not record the April 21 outcome.