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• 2. Even the required rear yard may be encroached upon by <br />sidewalks, patios, decks and driveways as well as <br />detached accessory buildings. For example, in the <br />Northome neighborhood driveway access to detached garages <br />routinely takes up part of the required rear yard. <br />3. Surveying the rear of residences in the Northome <br />neighborhood suggests that 50 ft. deep rear lots with <br />detached garages do not provide much visual open space. <br />Allowing much larger lot coverage of the rear yard than <br />already exists would almost eliminate an open green space <br />in rear yards. <br />4. Section 2.05 (2)(d) of the zoning code limits the area <br />of lots covered by structures and built or finished <br />surfaces (e.g. driveways) to 75 percent of the lot. This <br />requirement is almost entirely met by the required front <br />yard in the Northome neighborhood. And, therefore, does <br />not affect rear yard lot coverage. This makes section <br />9-2.04 (2)(b) important in controlling rear yard open <br />space. <br />It appears that the best way to accomplish the objective of <br />allowing for larger garages on the 50 ft. wide lots, while <br />maintaining open space in the rear yards, is to reconsider the <br />proposed language and use "40 percent of the required" rather than <br />"35 percent of the existing" rear yard. Forty percent of the <br />required rear yard is 600 sq, ft. Remember that a planner <br />interprets and explains the code to property owners when plans are <br />proposed and, therefore, confusion can be avoided in the <br />application of this terminology. <br />Area: Detached accessory buildings shall not occupy more <br />than 40 percent of the area of a required rear yard; <br />and shall not exceed a total of 1,000 sq. ft. <br /> <br />2 <br />