TO: Chair and Members of the Design Review Committee
THRU: Hayden Beckman, Planning Manager
FROM: Arlen Beck, Associate Planner
1. Subject
title
A request to add 305 square feet to a non-contributing single-family home in the Old Towne Historic District located at 412 S. Pixley Street. (Design Review No. 5146).
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2. Summary
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The applicant proposes adding a total of 305 square feet to an existing single-family home located on a substandard 2,880-square-foot lot at 412 S. Pixley Street. The property is located in the Old Towne Historic District and is designated as a non-contributing property.
3. RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation
Recommendation for approval by the Zoning Administrator.
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4. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Applicant: Architectural Design Solutions/ Mark S. Dwyer
Owner: Alonso Regalado
Property Location: 412 S. Pixley Street
General Plan Designation: Low Density Residential 2-6 du/ac (LDR)
Zoning Classification: Single Family Residential 6,000 square feet (R-1-6)
Existing Development: 645-square-foot single family residence with a detached garage
Associated Application: VAR25-0001, AA25-0001
Previous DRC Project Review: None
5. project description
This project includes:
• A one-story addition of 305 square feet to the rear of a single-family home located on a substandard 2,880-square-foot-lot. The addition consists of a new 215 square-foot master bedroom/bathroom, 103 square-foot bedroom, and 113
square-feet of hall closet/utility space. The addition, at the north elevation, is recessed two feet to accommodate demarcation of the new habitable area and vehicular exiting. The roof overhangs the recessed area in line with the contiguous roof.
• The proposed project will renovate the exterior of the residence. All of the exterior walls on both the existing and proposed areas of the structure will consist of Hardie board in the Slate Pebble color, and all the existing windows, most of which are non-original vinyl sash windows, will be replaced with hung, wood, or wood-clad sash windows. The non-original shed-roof front portico is also proposed to be removed.
• Relocation the existing 170 square-foot garage from its current position at the west end of the driveway on the north side of the house to the northwest rear corner of the parcel. The project will extend the existing substandard width driveway toward the west to meet the primary (east) façade of the relocated garage
6. EXISTING SITE
The property at 412 S. Pixley Street is a substandard, rectangular, 2,880-square-foot parcel located on the west side of the street between West Culver Avenue and West La Veta Avenue. It contains a one-story, 645 square-foot Craftsman style bungalow with a rectangular footprint, a 170 square-foot single-car carriage house/garage, and a non-original wood-framed canopy between the two buildings. The dwelling has stucco walls and a cross-gable asphalt shingle roof. A substandard width (8’-9”) driveway runs along the north side of the parcel to the garage, which will be reviewed by the Zoning Administrator to allow this deviation under an Administrative Adjustment. Wood fencing encloses the north, west, and south sides of the backyard behind the residence. The home was constructed in 1923 and is a non-contributor to the Old Towne Historic District. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) status code for the structure is “6L: Determined ineligible for local listing or designation through local government review process; may warrant special consideration in local planning.”
7. EXISTING AREA CONTEXT
The building is located on the 400 block of South Pixley Street between West Culver Avenue and West La Veta Avenue and outside of the Downtown Plaza Core. The surrounding properties on the block consist of single-family homes.
8. Project Analysis
The proposed project will clad the existing residence and new construction with Hardie Plank horizontal lap siding in a Slate Pebble color with woodgrain finish and Owens Corning black onyx composition shingle roofing, replacing non-original stucco siding. Wood windows as well as wood doors, fascia, and trim will be painted in Sherwin Williams Alabaster White. These materials are generally compatible with the scale, design, texture, reflectivity, durability, and color of other Craftsman style buildings in the Historic District.
The 38% Floor Area Ratio (FAR) proposed is within 5% of the average FAR of the block (37.5%), for parcels of similar size. This is an acceptable increase given that the addition occurs at the rear of the property and is on a smaller, substandard lot.
The width of the driveway extension from the point of the addition to the relocated detached garage is 10’ 9½”. The existing 8’ 9” driveway is legal non-conforming and is proposed to remain. There is a proposed offset in the north building elevation demarcating the new addition to the structure that allows for the new wider driveway extension.
The development standards require a minimum 900 square feet of usable open space for a property in the R-1-6 zoning district. A new lot in the R-1-6 zoning district would have to be at least 6,000 square feet, where the open space requirement of 900 square feet would be 15% of the lot. Fifteen percent of the 2,880 square foot lot would be 432 square feet, and the project proposed 465 square feet. A Variance request will be reviewed by the Zoning Administrator for this deviation.
The project meets all zoning code requirements, except for the driveway width and minimum open space requirements, which deviations will be reviewed and decided upon by the Zoning Administrator.
Staff recommends that the DRC approve the proposal.
9. ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATION
None.
10. PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice was provided to owners and tenants within 300 feet of the project on or before August 7, 2025, and the site was posted with a notice on or before that date.
11. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per State CEQA Guidelines 15303 (Class 3 - New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) because the project consists of a small addition to an existing single-family home. There is no environmental public review required for a Categorical Exemption.
12. STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND REQUIRED FINDINGS
Based on the following Findings and statements in support of such Findings, staff recommends the DRC make a final determination on the proposed project with recommended conditions (Orange Municipal Code 17.10.070.G).
1. In the Old Towne Historic District, the proposed work conforms to the prescriptive standards and design criteria referenced and/or recommended by the DRC or other reviewing body for the project.
The proposed project is in conformance with the Historic Preservation Design Standards (HPDS), which are the prescriptive design criteria for projects within the Old Towne Historic District. The proposed rear addition is subordinate to the existing building and is not visible from the street. It is compatible with the mass, scale, and roof form of the historic building and would not affect the appearance of the Historic District. The proposed offset in the north building elevation demarcates the new addition to the structure.
2. In any National Register Historic District, the proposed work complies with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards and guidelines.
The project is in conformance with the HPDS. Projects found to be in conformance with the HPDS are generally considered to be in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
3. The project design upholds community aesthetics through the use of an internally consistent, integrated design theme and is consistent with all adopted specific plans, applicable design standards, and their required findings.
The project upholds community aesthetics through an internally consistent and integrated design theme. The proposed project is in conformance with the Historic Preservation Design Standards (HPDS), which are the prescriptive design criteria for projects within the Old Towne Historic District. The proposed rear addition is subordinate to the existing building and is not visible from the street. It is compatible with the mass, scale, and roof form of the historic building and would not affect the appearance of the Historic District. The proposed offset in the north building elevation demarcates the new addition to the structure. The 38% FAR proposed is within 5% of the average FAR of the block (37.5%). This is an acceptable increase given that the addition occurs at the rear of the property.
13. CONDITIONS
The approval of this project is subject to the following conditions:
1. This project is approved as a precise plan. All work shall conform in substance and be maintained in general conformance with the plans (date stamped approved August 5, 2025, and in the project case file), including modifications required by the conditions of approval, and as recommended for approval by the Design Review Committee. After the application has been approved, if changes are proposed regarding the location or alteration of any use or structure, a changed plan may be submitted to the Community Development Director for approval. If the Community Development Director determines that the proposed change complies with the provisions and the spirit and intent of the approval action, and that the action would have been the same for the changed plan as for the approved plan, the Community Development Director may approve the changed plan without requiring a new public meeting. If the Community Development Director determines that any proposed change is substantial, he may refer the plans to the Design Review Committee for subsequent review and determination.
2. The applicant agrees, as a condition of City’s approval of Design Review No. 5145, to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless, at applicant’s expense, the City, its officers, agents, and employees (“City”) from and against any claim, action or proceeding brought against the City, including, but not limited to, any claim, action or proceeding commenced within the time period provided in Government Code Section 66499.37 to attack, review, set aside, void or annul the City’s approval, to challenge the determination made by the City under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) or to challenge the reasonableness, legality or validity of any condition attached hereto. City shall promptly notify applicant of any such claim, action or proceeding to which the City receives notice and to cooperate fully with the applicant in the defense thereof. Applicant shall reimburse the City for any and all costs and expenses, including, but not limited to, court costs and attorney’s fees that the City may be required to pay, including any expenses ordered by a court or expenses incurred through the Office of the City Attorney in connection with said claim, action or proceeding. City may, in its sole discretion, participate in the defense of any claim, action or proceeding but such participation shall not relieve applicant of the obligations of this condition. In the event the applicant is required to defend City in connection with such claim, action or proceeding, City shall have the right to approve counsel to so defend the City, approve all significant decisions concerning the manner in which the defense is conducted and approve any all settlements, which approval(s) shall not be unreasonably withheld. The obligations set forth herein remain in full force and effect throughout all stages of litigation including any and all appeals of any lower court judgment rendered in the proceeding. Further, applicant agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the City for all costs and expenses incurred in enforcing this provision.
3. The applicant shall comply with all federal, state, and local laws, including all City regulations. Violation of any of those laws in connection with the use may be cause for revocation of this permit.
4. The final approved conditions of approval shall be reprinted on the first or second page of the construction documents when submitting to the Building Division for the plan check process.
5. Construction permits shall be obtained for all future construction work, as required by the City of Orange, Building Division. Failure to obtain the required building permits will be cause for revocation of this permit.
6. If not utilized, project approval expires 24 months from the approval date. Extensions of time may be granted in accordance with OMC Section 17.08.06.
14. ATTACHMENTS
• Attachment 1 Vicinity Map
• Attachment 2 DPR Form
• Attachment 3 Project Plans
• Attachment 4 Historic Resource Assessment