Commission declines discretionary review, approves addition at 3725 Jackson Street

The Planning Commission considered a neighbor’s request for discretionary review of a proposed rear addition and basement excavation at 3725 Jackson Street. The doctor‑requester’s team raised privacy, view, geotechnical and retaining‑wall easement concerns and submitted an appraisal and engineering exhibits.

Project sponsor architect Steven Sutro and planning staff said the project complies with planning‑code height and setback limits and that geotechnical and construction‑method issues — including shoring, vibration monitoring, retaining‑wall construction and potential temporary work on adjacent properties — are appropriately addressed in the building‑permit and geotechnical review process.

After hearing argument from both sides, commissioners agreed there were no “extraordinary or exceptional” planning circumstances that would warrant discretionary review and that the technical concerns should be resolved in the building‑permit phase by licensed engineers. The commission voted 7–0 not to take discretionary review and approved the project as proposed.