The Lafayette Design Review Commission on Oct. 14, 2025, approved plans to demolish a 2,474‑square‑foot home at 660 Moraga Road and replace it with a proposed 3,593‑square‑foot, two‑story residence with basement, a 452‑square‑foot attached garage and a Class B accessory dwelling unit. Staff recommended the commission find the project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act and adopt Design Review Resolution 2025‑16; the commission approved the resolution with additional direction on color and a roof element.

Staff planner Madison Church told the commission the 0.9‑acre (described as “just under 1 acre”) site is zoned R‑20, is accessed by a private easement off Moraga Road and is largely screened by mature vegetation such that the proposed building is not visible from public vantage points. The proposal calls for demolition of the existing 2,474‑square‑foot home and construction of a new home with roughly 3,593 square feet of living area, a 452‑square‑foot garage, and a basement ADU shown in plans as 587 square feet of living area with an attached balcony. Staff said approximately 430 square feet of new impervious surface is proposed and that three trees would be removed, including one protected oak flagged by the arborist.

Adam of A Rod Engineering, the applicant’s engineer, presented exterior and interior renderings and said the design steps with topography and follows contour lines. He told commissioners the nearest neighboring residence at 662 is about 100 feet to the north and that substantial vegetation and topography limit public visibility.

Public reaction was mixed but generally supportive of replacing an older dwelling, with neighbors raising concerns over notification, construction staging, drainage on the slope and selection of exterior colors. Resident Harry Nigel said he supports the proposal but would like earlier notification and coordination on staging and drainage. Another resident, identifying herself as Linda Nysha, said her chief concern is exterior color and requested that the project respond to the woodland context.

Commissioners focused their feedback on two items: the palette and one flat‑roofed bedroom element at the front/garage elevation. Several commissioners recommended a darker, more earth‑tone or green‑toned color scheme so the house sits more quietly in the hillside; one commissioner recommended converting the small flat roof element on the bedroom module to a low‑slope roof to better match the other roofs and to give more presence to the entry. Commissioner Richard Stanton moved to find the project exempt from CEQA and adopt Resolution 2025‑16 approving the project subject to conditions that the applicant provide an alternative, darker color scheme and revise the identified roof element; the motion passed on an affirmative voice vote.

Clarifying details recorded at the hearing: staff said the basement ADU was determined not to count as a story because the finished floor above the basement is more than 6 feet above ground for less than 50% of the perimeter, per the municipal code definition of a story; the project was noticed and posted; the arborist recommended removal of two non‑protected eucalyptus trees and identified one protected oak for removal with additional documentation required for safety removal. Outside agency referrals returned comments from engineering and other departments but none that required redesign, according to staff.

Next steps: The commission approved the project subject to standard conditions and the two additional directions (alternate color palette and roof detail). Staff will circulate the revised color scheme to commissioners and may include a designated commissioner in the staff review if needed. The project will proceed to the building permit stage where the conditions and tree removal requirements will be enforced.