Neighbors urge tree protection, arborist oversight and construction limits in El Pentado Road retaining-wall dispute

At the Sept. 22 Danville Planning Commission hearing, neighbor and appellant Nelson Cicchetto said his objections focus on west-facing impacts and construction staging rather than the taller eastern wall section. Cicchetto presented photos and grading-plan excerpts showing drains/backfill within a few feet of several trees (redwoods and a valley oak) and asked the commission to attach conditions including drip-line fencing inspection, on-site certified arborist oversight for root-zone work, no staging that blocks the shared private road, and documented fire-district approval of access and site-safety plans.

Cicchetto told commissioners the shared private access averages about 13.5 feet, substantially narrower than the 20-foot fire-district standard he cited. "Our shared access road is on average, 13.5 feet wide, which is way below the fire district minimum of 20 feet, with no exceptions in Danville," he said. Planning staff and commissioners responded that tree protection, arborist requirements and staging enforcement are handled through building and engineering reviews and the tree-preservation ordinance; the commissions decision on the height variance would not itself create or impose those construction conditions.