4110 Palos Verdes Drive South deck project

The property owner said he's spent three years, $80,000+ in fees and fines, and hundreds of hours trying to legalize his deck repairs and spa, takes responsibility for unpermitted modifications, and asks for swift approval so building permits can proceed.

A structural engineer hired after the fact, he argued the 20-square-foot deck extension is the only variance item, provides a safe walkway around the house, and adds a negligible 0.3% lot coverage.

A Tract 16540 HOA board vice president described the 30-foot fill slope behind the property, its sloughing history, and urged the city to require the 20,000-pound pool be emptied immediately until geotechnical studies are done — and to let the HOA verify it stays empty.

A 53-year resident and Tract 16540 board president said structural weight on the bluff needs caissons to terrace level, questioned the pool's foundations versus the promised two-person jacuzzi, and asked for a required drainage plan.

A Tract 16540 board member urged that building and safety conduct a risk and safety study on the soils before any pool approval, noting the fill may limit foundation options and that the applicant must work with both the HOA and the city.

A next-door neighbor of the elderly resident living directly below the pool, he described her fear since the pool was craned in over her house and urged the commission to weigh her needs alongside the applicant's.