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February 2~, 1993 • TO: Residents of the 1400 Block South Side of California Avenue North Side of Idaho Avenue RE: Garage at 1433 Idaho Avenue Dear Neighbor: Responding to several phone calls, we thought others would be concerned who perhaps did not see the live TV coverage of the hour and a half meeting of the city council on January 25, which was run in its entirety six or seven times during the following days. The problem first arose when it was observed the slab of concrete covered far more of the rear yard than code provided for. Not until the garage was nearly completed did the full impact of its size and height become very apparent. WE CONVEYED OUR CONCERNS TO THE CITY WHO STATED THEY HAD MADE A MISTAKE IN ISSUING THE PERMIT, AND ASTOP-WORK ORDER WAS ISSUED. On Monday, January 25, we met with the Planning Commission. Mr. Brace, the property owner, spoke at length, indicating he demolished a 10-year old double garage and he would not have taken this action to gain only a 3-car garage. It was a 4-car garage he wanted. He stated he had acted in good faith and was at that time unaware of the mistake made by the city in issuing a permit for an illegal 4-car garage. Mrs. King addressed the legality of building such a structure without first obtaining the proper variances. Further concerns were expressed regarding: • 1. Potential loss of property values -particularly to the owners of the adjacent east and west properties and the property directly across the alley, and some loss to all property owners in the block, particularly those in direct line-of-sight of the structure. 2. Destruction of the character of the neighborhood with this grossly out-of-scale building which is some 980 square feet compared to the 1 and 2-car garages with 600 square feet (or less which are within code). 3. The future possibility of a new owner of this 2-bedroom home with its total of 5 garages (4 in the rear; one in the front) seeing an opportunity to conduct an auto repair or some other business activity and/or a place to permanently park a large motor home, boat, etc., on the extensive concrete driveway is a threat, further devaluing the property values and downgrading the neighborhood's appearance. 4. We are setting precedent which could lead to the courts if one person is permitted a 4-car garage and another person is denied the same privilege. The Commission considered three alternatives: 1. Grant the variances and lift the stop-work order. The variances needed were: a. Change the percentage of rear yard required to be left open . b. Change side yard setback from required five feet for this size structure to onefoot. c. Change the code allowing 4 cars parked on a property to 5 or more. • Note: The 4-car garage plus the 1-car front garage allows parking for 10 cars on the property - potentially creating a parking lot in this residential neighborhood. 2. Downsize the garage -still requiring variances.