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September 21, 1998 Applicant: Mary Silberschmidt Address: 3125 Roosevelt St. N.E., St. Anthony Village, MN., 55418 Phone:.612-788-6155 Status of Applicant: Owner Legal description of property proposed for variance: Lot 16, Block 2, Wallace's Roosevelt Heights Addition Please find the following letter to contain my responses to the questions on the."Petition for a Variance" form. My house was built in 1960 and the situation discussed in this letter was in place when the house was originally built. I purchased the house in 1987 with this situation still in place. My house sits facing west with the kitchen on the south end. There is an outside door in my kitchen on the south wall, this door is approximately 2 1/2 feet off the ground. There are concrete steps (3 steps down)which extend 66 inches out into the yard in front of this door. This leaves approximately 18-24 inches to the property line from the last step. My neighbor on this side of the house has the same situation with a door and a set of steps facing my property. Anyway, I have approximately 7 feet(the 66 inches of steps plus the 18 inches of property) from my house structure to the property line on the south side of my house. If I am to abide by the code which went into effect in 1978, I must leave 5 feet clear from any structure to the property line. This means I could only have 2 feet for a set of steps which must descend the 2 1/2 feet to the ground. The steps would have to be so steep it would be unsafe, and not practical ( maybe a ladder?). This means that the door on the south side of my house can either become useless or must have a variance in the code which allows steps to extend into the yard. Without a variance, my choices would be to either remodel my kitchen to remove the outside door, or to have a door that is 2 1/2 feet off the ground that is not able to have steps down. A variance would relieve this undue hardship. In addition, there was an aluminum shed, about 10 ft. by 12 ft. directly behind my house, on the south end, which went right up to the property line. This was also in place when I purchased my home. It had rusted and the doors no longer worked and it was an eyesore. I removed it last summer in preparation for the proposed steps and deck on the house. My proposed deck with steps is further from the property line than the previous situation. In other words, while it is still not quite within the specifications of the code, it is closer to keeping the code than the original structures. A variance will allow me to continue to use my door and current house plan, a correction of extraordinary circumstance,and in fact,be closer to currently existing codes. The proposed steps/decking would extend only 48 inches into the yard from the house as opposed to the original (current)structure which extends 66 inches. The city ordinance which passed in 1978, nearly 20 years after my house was built, leaves me no realistic alternatives to replace the existing steps if I do not receive a variance. This ordinance was passed 20 years ago and my house was built 20 years before that. Those steps are nearly 40 years old and will need replacement at some time certainly. I cannot replace them without a variance. This is hardship caused by the City Ordinance. By dictating a 5 foot clearance