With a vacation last month, I missed getting this posted, but here’s the news.

The forces of zoning and regulation have slowed progress on the new observatory. When our architect went to file the building permit, he was informed that, because our garage is detached, a plot plan change would need to be submitted. This will require a review by the planning department and a public hearing.

Riverside County instituted a new rule in March of this year to require a more public review on new accessory buildings. Apparently, some people were building large or ugly or view-blocking buildings and neighbors did not have a way to comment or possibly prevent the construction of an inappropriate outbuilding. We got snagged by that rule.

Normally, a building under 400 square feet doesn’t require a plot plan review. However, any second building, regardless of size, does require a review. At 208 square feet, this seems a bit unfair, particularly because the project is subject to Lake Riverside Estates’ CC&Rs, and that includes a review by the Architecture Committee. We are all OK on that front.

So we are now waiting for the next step. The planning department has apparently approved the project from their perspective, and I am waiting to hear what the next step is.

UPDATE August 4, 2008

We’ve been notified that the hearing is next Monday, August 11. I hope that it goes OK.