903 Pine narrative903 Pine Street Public Hearing Narrative
903 Pine Street is a large 11,542sf residential property at the northeast corner of 9th and Pine Streets.
The primary structure, an Italianate style house built in 1877, is currently the only building on the lot.
However, a Sanborn map dating from 1918 shows three additional buildings were once on the parcel.
Rather than adding to the primary structure where little has changed to the footprint since the 1918 map,
the owners Jina Park and Alan Russell, would like to build a detached 800sf Accessory Dwelling Unit at
the rear of the lot. Even with this additional square footage, the total overall FAR and Building Coverage
on the property would be well below the maximum allowable by zoning.
Our goal with the proposed design of the ADU was to take cues from the house but keep it simple in
shape and footprint, similar to a typical historic accessory structure, but modern and modest in detail
and use of material.
We also wanted to take advantage of the large, sloping site and views to the south. As designed, 80’-0”
would separate the house from the ADU. Existing landscape, a low wall with steps and mature trees and
shrubs, creates a natural break at the midpoint of the lot and the feeling of two separate yards offering
privacy for each building.
While parking isn’t required for ADU’s in a historic district, we located the building as far north and west
as possible to allow for potential parking (and required backup space) to the rear or east side of the
structure if necessary in the future.
Because we aren’t proposing a garage that requires vehicular access from the alley, we’re able to push
the ADU into the ground approximately 4’. Doing this minimizes the height and mass of the building on
the alley and helps us stay within the City’s accessory height limit which is exacerbated by the slope of
the lot. It also allows us to have a gable roof (rather than a flat roof) similar in slope to the gable on the
house.
In organizing the floor plan, we located the private spaces to the north in the sunken end of the structure
and public spaces to the south to capture the views and sunlight. A linear core of storage on one side
and kitchen cabinets and appliances on the other separates the private and public spaces. A change in
floor elevation follows the natural slope of the lot and further defines the separation. A small covered
porch on the east side of the building marks the entry to the ADU - a modern, simple interpretation of the
house’s covered entry.
Keeping in mind this new building is a dwelling, not a garage, we’re proposing a simplified 2 over 2
painted, wood, double-hung window similar in pattern and proportion to the house. We’re also
proposing a skylight on the east sloping roof - not visible from 9th Street - to provide light and ventilation
in the bathroom as well as privacy from the alley.
As proposed, the building would be clad in painted vertical tongue and groove wood with a single gable
asphalt shingle roof - modest materials compared to the brick of the house and elaborate hipped roof.
Window and door trim, eaves and rake details on the ADU are minimal. A single, continuous datum line
created by a break in the siding wraps the building, organizing and connecting all doors and windows. A
covered stoop on the southwest corner of the building, contained by the roof, provides covered access
to the yard and deck.
Lastly, while we strived to make a simple, elegant building, pleasing to view from all sides, the reality is
very little of the ADU will be visible to the public. The stepping 6’-0”+ brick fence and mature landscape
within the property along 9th Street will soften and obscure a significant portion of the structure. The
building as seen from the alley will be low in height and mass and in keeping with the humble character
and form of typical historic accessory structures.