Item 34 - Public Hearing - Appeal Application No. 2024-01 for Construction of a 23’-4” Tall Accessory Building (2221 N Heliotrope Drive)

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CUP No. 2022-06 — Maharajah House Moon Pavilion (2221 N. Heliotrope Drive) August 26, 2024 Page 9 building will continue to retain all of its character -defining features. Moreover, the proposed structure would not impact any of the view sheds to the Maharajah House, along any public perspectives. As mentioned, the pavilion would be located approximately thirty feet to the east of the Maharajah House, and approximately fifteen feet from the rear (east) property line, behind an existing six foot high stucco wall and behind existing mature landscaping (e.g., 25-foot tall mature tree and mature bamboo). Therefore, all views of the historic structure along Heliotrope Drive and Santa Clara Avenue would remain unimpaired. The proposed changes would also not affect the historical integrity of the Floral Park Historic District as a whole. As proposed, bamboo would be planted near the north property line to obscure the proposed pavilion from view from the public rights -of -way on Santa Clara Avenue and Heliotrope Drive. While the new bamboo would be clearly visible from the rights -of -way, its appearance alongside the existing wall would be consistent with the internal setting of the Floral Park Historic District, which is characterized in part by its variety of landscaping. As stated in the National Register nomination form for the historic district, "Landscaping varies from building to building, but as this is a point of pride within the neighborhood, landscaping is of high caliber. The majority of properties feature shallow lawns, mature shrubs and flower gardens. Perimeter fences, low walls, and hedges are usually present, and some are original to the property." In addition, the pavilion and bamboo would be confined to an area corresponding to a very limited portion of the property's northern frontage, approximately 100 linear feet. Because of the limited physical scale of the changes, the project would be partially visible only from very few public vantage points, further reducing its visual effects to the internal setting of the historic district. Public Notification and Community Outreach Project notifications were posted, published, and mailed in accordance with City and State regulations. The Floral Park Neighborhood Association representatives were also contacted to identify any areas of concern due to the proposed project. Copies of the public notice, including a 1,000-foot notification radius map, and the site posting are provided in Exhibit 12. At the time this report was printed, staff did not receive neighborhood concerns regarding the proposed CUP. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, the project is exempt from further review pursuant to Section 15303 of the CEQA Guidelines (Class 3/New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) because the project involves the construction of a small accessory structure. Based on this analysis, Notice of Exemption, Environmental Review No. 2022-11 will be filed for this project.