The city Planning Commission issued a continuance Dec. 16 in the appeal hearing of a Bishop’s School variance to increase the height of its library by a little more than two feet. The contentious project, which many feel is in violation of Proposition D, will be heard again on Jan. 20. City project manager Glenn Gargas said the architect, Michael Wilkes of the firm Delewie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker, must do more between now and Jan. 20 to demonstrate he’s taken all possible measures to reduce the height of the structure. Proposition D mandates a 30-foot height limit for coastal properties, and The Bishop’s School variance would increase its height from 30 feet to 32 feet and 1 inch. But Gargas said the project, even though it is slightly more than 32 feet tall, would not be in violation of Proposition D because the ordinance allows for a 10-foot differential — which is basically a variance in topography, such as a sloping lot. “The methodology is written that if [the differential] is 10 feet or less, you measure from the high point,” said Gargas. “If it’s greater than 10 feet, you measure from the lower side.” Proposition D also outlines that a building be measured from the finished grade, as opposed to the preexisting grade (before the project started), he said. In the case of Bishop’s, the preexisting grade is four feet lower than the finished grade. Gargas said the Bishop’s site is “relatively flat,” but the project is not in violation of Proposition D. The project pertains to the private school’s plan for a 21,000-square-foot library and learning center, which would cost about $10 million. The new facility — consisting of a basement and two above-ground levels — would include a library, classrooms, study areas and group meeting rooms with individual computer docking stations. The school originally requested a 4-foot variance, which was denied. David Little, who serves on the La Jolla Community Planning Association board of trustees, has been one of several on the forefront of opposition to the height variance, fearing it could set a precedent for future coastal development. “If this variance is granted, it cannot be denied to other developers,” he wrote in a recent guest commentary published in the Village News. “As time progresses, your peek-a-boo view will disappear, the winter shadow of the adjacent building will come further over your property and the wall of condos along the beach will grow a few feet higher as more variances are granted.”