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. Christine Mattson From: Christine Mattson Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 9:51 AM To: 'Toleno, Dan' Cc: Melanie Curtis Subject: 3205 Graham Hill Dan, Regarding your question about bringing fill from the property at 3340 Graham Hill to 3205 Graham Hill for the purpose of raising the grade to build a home with a walk-out. Please be aware, we measure building height and calculate the grade for the number of stories from today's existinq qrade (a.k.a. pre-fill). A basement will have to meet the basement definition in our code using the existing grade or you will be limited to a 3�d level of a HALF story only. Definitions are pasted below for your reference. If you determine the proposed fill will not have an impact on the height or basement calculation of the intended home at 3205 Graham Hill, it is a possibility. Fill less than 500 cu. yds. requires a zoning permit; fill in excess of 500 cu. yds. requires a conditional use permit. Both permits require a survey, a grading plan and an escrow. Definitions City Code 78-1 Basement means that portion of a building that is partly or completely below the existing ground level. A basement shall be considered as a story for purposes of determining the number of stories in a building, when the finished surface of the floor above the basement is more than six feet above the existing ground level for more than 50 percent of the basement's perimeter. The perimeter of the basement does not include portions of the house or garage that do not have a lower level but are merely "unexcavated". Artificially raising the grade adjacent to the foundation of a structure (by filling or by a combination of filling and retaining walls) above the surrounding natural terrain shall not be allowed as a method for converting a defined story to a defined basement, regardless of any other benefits to the property of such action. Finished grade that increases more than one foot from existing ground level shall be considered as artificially raising the grade. However, artificially raising the grade when such action merely restores a previously excavated site to its original natural grade may used as a method for converting a defined story to a defined basement. Basement, walkout, means a basement having an entrance at grade level. Building height means the vertical distance between the highest adjoining ground level at the building or ten feet above the lowest ground level, whichever is lower, and the top of the cornice of a flat roof, or the deck line of a mansard roof, or the uppermost point on a round or other arch-type roof, or the median height of the highest gable of a pitched or hipped roof. Topographic changes which elevate the adjoining ground level above the existing terrain shall not be considered in determining building height. For a pitched or hipped roof situation, regardless whether the highest living space in a building is a half-story or full story, if the highest living space contains windows (excluding skylights) the upper measuring point for defining building height shall be the median height of the top of the highest window and the highest peak of the roof. Existing ground level means the elevation of the grade at the base of an existing structure, measured at points abutting the foundation wall, or the existing grade of a vacant lot. Half story means the uppermost floor of a building in which (i) the intersection of the exterior wall and the roof is not more than three feet above the floor elevation, and (ii) not more than 60 percent of the floor area within the exterior walls of the uppermost floor exceeds five feet in height as measured from the floor to the rafters. Floors exceeding these parameters shall be deemed a full story. i