The unit would total 3,847 square feet, with three bedrooms between the first and second floors.

The project is unusual, Marengo said, as coastal permits dictate parking cannot be reduced once built, necessitating the building over the current lot. 

Marengo’s proposal would turn the parking lot into a drive-through, gated garage, adding two parking spaces to the current nine, and would also widen the La Jolla Boulevard-end of the alley south of Bonair Street to allow fire vehicle access.

The residence would be a single-family residence with an elevator and a stairway, Marengo said, adding the new unit would butt up against the existing building, he said.

The project will preserve the view corridors, he said.

Mark Bucon, an architect whose building is adjacent to the project at 6796 La Jolla Boulevard, expressed concern Marengo’s project would essentially be a three-story structure where the La Jolla Planned District Ordinance, which oversees community development following specific guidelines, only allows two stories.

Because the original development permit means parking must remain as-is, Marengo will initiate a special use permit to deviate from PDO regulations, he said.

Otherwise, the original permit will have rendered the lot “unbuildable.”

Marengo will present to PDO Monday, Oct. 14 he said.

Bucon’s second concern with the project addressed maintenance: “By building vertically right next to my building, there isn’t room to maintain it,” he said.

The construction would seal the space shut, Marengo said.

DPR committee members asked for Marengo to return with comments or approval from PDO and details as to where windows will sit, among other deliverables.

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