Board greenlights two SB9 houses at 544 Olmstead Drive and 1352 School Street with conditions on facades, trellis and landscaping

The Design Review Board approved two new homes enabled by an SB9 lot split — one at 544 Olmstead Drive and one at 1352 School Street — after staff presented design recommendations and neighbors raised privacy and tree‑root concerns.

Case planner Shoaikya Premian summarized the projects and staff’s recommended conditions: restudy the west (School Street) elevation of 544 Olmstead to incorporate a secondary cladding or architectural detail for visual interest; apply decorative pavers to the driveway; relocate mechanical equipment and meters away from the street facade; record the SB9 final parcel map with Los Angeles County before issuing building permits; and comply with departmental comments including urban forestry guidance to protect and replace street trees.

Architect Alan Malekim explained design choices and offered two facade options for the west elevation; he told the board the project team plans to replace existing tall cypress with a denser hedge (initially proposed as ficus) to provide privacy and reduce shadowing from very tall trees. Multiple neighbors raised concerns about privacy, balcony location and the root systems of century‑old avocado trees adjacent to the properties. Caller Barry Daniel asked why the front setback had to be 25 feet and urged care to protect his avocado trees; another neighbor asked the board to ensure privacy from balconies.

Board members discussed several ways to break up a large garage/side facade (windows, partial railing, or masonry detailing) and suggested working with the applicant to select a solution that balances material use and visual interest. For the School Street house they removed the staff requirement to extend the balcony railing across the garage, opting instead to require consideration of privacy landscaping or trellis planting to screen views and avoid building a continuous parapet wall. The board approved 544 Olmstead with conditions and later approved 1352 School Street while keeping staff conditions 3 and 4 and adding the landscaping/trellis vegetation consideration.

Next steps: Applicant to provide revised facade details, decorative paver specification and a landscaping/trellis plan that addresses privacy and root concerns before permits are issued; SB9 map must be recorded first.