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• d. The deck could be placed in its current location and its width reduced to eight feet rather than ten feet. This would meet the five foot side yard setback requirement. This option has been discussed with the applicant and he has indicated that an eight foot wide deck is not large enough to accommodate his needs. F. ANALYSIS The size of the proposed deck, 10' x 20' and 200 square feet, is modest. The decks built in the city this year have ranged in area from 144 square feet to 702 square feet. More importantly, none were narrower than 12 feet in width. In order to meet the setback requirements, the applicant would need to reduce the width of his deck to eight feet (alternative 4, above). In addition, there does not appear to be a reasonable alternative placement for the deck. A previous variance permitted this house to be built in an unusual configuration which leaves the property owners with almost no buildable space on either the north (side yard) or west (rear yard) sides of the house. This could be interpreted as a hardship on the applicant and would be legitimate grounds for granting the variance. This assumes that it is reasonable to have a deck rather than an exit area only. • As mentioned earlier, the side and rear setback requirements for decks are in place to prevent living space from moving too close to abutting properties. While there would be about 13' between the proposed deck and the neighboring structure, the neighboring property may someday wish to add on to his home or deck and would be permitted a five foot setback. This would leave eight feet between two properties. G. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval of the requested variance due to the unique configuration of the home, the reasonable deck dimensions, and the fact that no reasonable alternative building location exists on the property. The home's unique configuration on the property is not due to circumstances created by the property owner, and the two foot variance is the minimum needed to alleviate this hardship. Finally, granting the variance will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood. However, staff also recommends that a condition be placed upon the variance that the deck not be converted into any type of covered interior living space, such as three- orfour-season porches or an addition to the house itself. This will keep the use of the deck limited to outdoor, recreation-type activities and will not allow it to turn into living space in the future. •