Belveron East resident must rethink home project after pushback on second story

The Tiburon Design Review Board voted 4-0 at its Jan. 29 meeting to reduce massing for a proposed addition at 68 Mercury Ave., owned by Reide Baxter. Neighborhood pushback was substantial, with 62 Belveron East neighbors signing a petition against the proposed second story. Board members were split on whether they’d support a second story in the neighborhood, though they agreed a new design with reduced massing was needed. (Wright Architecture)

A Belveron East homeowner must rethink plans for a second-story addition on a corner lot after 62 neighbors signed a petition opposing the project in a neighborhood where most homes are single-story.

The Tiburon Design Review Board voted 4-0 at its Jan. 29 meeting, with member Jim O’Dorisio absent, to continue discussion on the proposed project at 68 Mercury Ave. They told owner Reide Baxter to return with a design that evens out the massing of the home, with member Suzanne Kim saying the current design “looks unbalanced.”

The petition opposed Baxter’s plan to add about 1,342 square feet onto his existing 1,250-square-foot home, including creating a 755-square-foot second floor that would have two bedrooms, a bathroom and a study. The neighbors’ letter cited the design’s “adverse impacts on views and neighborhood aesthetics” and called for Baxter to remove the second story.

Board members were split on whether a second story could work — Kim and colleague Phoebe Holscher said they were open to it, Chair Bryan Chong said he couldn’t support a two-story and Vice Chair Alex Rosner said he “would need a lot of convincing” to approve it.

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