When it comes to designing a duplex, a Langley couple is discovering it’s not so easy to please the city — and a neighbor who doesn’t like the look of their new home.
Ben and Ann Breedlove are trying a second time to get Langley’s Design Review Board to sign off on the couple’s plans for a duplex on Fourth Street. The Breedloves had already gotten the board’s approval for the project, but the design was sent back to the board after a neighbor complained that it didn’t fit well with the neighborhood aesthetics. Also, the city’s planner said she didn’t properly advise the board how to handle the project.
At Thursday’s Design Review Board meeting, Ben Breedlove presented the board with photographs of the neighborhood and his lot on Fourth Street. He even brought paint samples and polled the board members on what color scheme they liked best.
It wasn’t enough, though. The board has pushed back a decision until May 30 on the duplex where the Breedloves want to spend their final years in Langley.
The delay is the latest obstacle in a troubled path for the couple.
The pending approval keeps the Breedloves from applying for a building permit needed to break ground on the construction.
The project had been initially approved in April but an appeal by a neighbor and a processing error sent it back to the board.
While landscaping was the issue that sent the duplex design back to the board, the advisory group is now looking at the scale of the building to see if it fits with the character of the neighborhood.
City planner Alice Schisel said that when the board first discussed the duplex, it didn’t give the matter enough thought. Schisel also said she misdirected the board by telling them that landscaping isn’t required around parking areas, when in fact it is.
Another part of the delay: An appeal by the Breedloves’ neighbor Eric Levine.
He filed an appeal with the city council, complaining that the new building will not blend into Langley’s style and landscape. He also cited problems with the home’s mass, scale and colors.
The Breedloves say their duplex — a terraced, three-level house nestled into the hill on Anthes and Fourth streets — is designed to fit their needs as they get older and will provide independent living for the couple. It is the last home they’ll ever build, Breedlove said.
They plan to construct it on a lot
adjacent to their current home.
Multifamily and duplex zoning in the neighborhood, however, has forced the couple to plan a duplex instead of a single family home.
The delays have been costly. After they had gotten their initial approval at the April meeting, they hired a project manager and spent more than $11,000 on preparing for construction, Breedlove said. Weeks later he learned that the decision had been appealed. Preparation for construction came to a halt.
Breedlove said the project wouldn’t even be an issue for the board if city zoning wouldn’t force him to build a duplex instead of a single family home. He said he only hopes to build a home where he and his wife grow old without having to worry about health issues, independent living and accessibility.
Because it is a duplex, though, the design requires a thumbs-up from Langley’s Design and Review Board. The board does not review the plans for single family residences.
To make the decision as easy as possible on the DRB, Breedlove appeared to Thursday’s meeting prepared. Not only had he brought color cards to give the board options for the exterior paint, but he also brought photographs of the neighborhood and the lot to give the board a better understanding of the project.
He also pledged to cooperate with the board on landscaping issues. Breedlove told the board that he was open to plantings around the house, but that he wanted to keep an open lawn area to keep the corner open as it has been for the past century.
“I don’t want an ugly area created, if a beautiful is present,†Breedlove said.
Levine, his neighbor, said the design for the duplex clashes with every other structure in the neighborhood. He has also asked that large trees be planted in front of the building to make it harder to see. He suggested that the home could also be built at another angle so it’s appearance could be softened.
While open to suggestions, Breedlove defended his design.
“Aesthetically, we sort of do like this design,†he said.
Breedlove also explained that the building plan is visually misleading.
“It’s not square. This is not a big building,†he said.
Decks and a terrace design will soften the home’s look. And because the duplex is built into the hill, not all of the three levels are visible. He also explained that the height of the building has preserved the mountain and water views from his current residence next door.
Breedlove told the board that he would gladly comply with their wishes, but he wants to avoid further construction delays.
“We are happy to come back and discuss plants, but please give us the go ahead,†Breedlove urged the board.
Levine asked to delay the decision on the design until the Breedloves could provide the board with a street-scaping picture of how the duplex would look in relation to nearby buildings.
After a brief discussion, the board asked Breedlove to return at the next meeting with a picture of the north elevation from Fourth Street. They also asked for a revised landscaping plan and an outdoor lighting plan.
