A proposed house off Mesa Road in Point Reyes Station that has riled a neighbor in recent months received approval last month from the Marin County Planning Commission, which on Nov. 9 struck down by a 6-0 vote an appeal that called for the house to be relocated out of a neighbor’s scenic sightline.
Owned by Point Reyes Station resident Alexandra Rome, the 2,550 square foot proposed house—designed around a courtyard for a garden—plus a garage, carport and second unit came under fire after story poles appeared to show the house would block views of Tomales Bay and the Inverness Ridge for the next-door neighbor, Bruce Lauritzen. A painter, Mr. Lauritzen has said that he derives inspiration from his backyard and balcony views—and that, since the story poles went up, the thought of losing his source of inspiration has prompted painter’s block.
“I haven’t gotten much art done at all,” said Mr. Lauritzen, who has lived off Mesa Road for 15 years and, previously, lived in Inverness for another 15 years. “To me, that’s the most devastating part. If I can’t paint, what’s the point of living?”
Mr. Lauritzen appealed the project in September on grounds that county permit requirements prohibit new residential developments from impairing a neighbor’s views. He asked Ms. Rome to move her house back by at least 30 feet.
Ms. Rome and staff members of the county’s Community Development Agency, however, argued that such a move was impractical. Her property and Mr. Lauritzen’s lie on four contiguous lots—three vacant for as long as Mr. Lauritzen can remember—that all have staggered building envelopes, a requirement that is part of an historical subdivision. It leaves little wiggle room for adjusting the placement of a house. She agreed to move the house back five feet; but any further, she said, would create privacy issues for the adjacent property owner, David Wasley, who plans to build a house beside Ms. Rome.
“I followed all the codes and restrictions properly,” said Ms. Rome, who has rented in Point Reyes Station for six years and formerly worked at Commonweal in Bolinas. “People have seen these lots empty for years. Honestly, change is hard.”
But Mr. Lauritzen pointed to a larger change in his neighborhood, which aside from Ms. Rome’s project includes a proposed 3,958 square foot home on a lot owned by Charles Horne.
“If we want to keep the quality of West Marin, we must respect it, otherwise more of the same will ensue, and irreversibly change the face of one of California’s gems,” Mr. Lauritzen said.