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Mr. and Mrs.Johnson have stated in their written statement that their plight is completely due to the fact <br /> that the footprint of the house was not designed by them nor altered to its current configuration by them. <br /> The house was constructed in 1960, prior to the codification of the City's Zoning Ordinance and the house <br /> was purchased by the current owners in 2007. <br /> The Johnsons are interested in improving their property by updating the curb appeal of the front of their <br /> home by adding a front porch. The front porch would also support the City's goal of being a livable <br /> community as it would invite and enhance neighborly relationships and a"Village feel". Mr. and Mrs. <br /> Johnson state that they understand the intention of the City's Ordinance that allows a 5' encroachment is <br /> meant to provide for a reasonably sized front porch, stoop and steps but in their situation,without the <br /> variance,it would only allow 2'2" for a stoops with steps. The owners feel that having only 2' 2" available <br /> for a landing and steeps creates both a practical difficulty in providing access and egress to their porch and <br /> a safety issue of not having a full landing to their front porch, thereby severely limiting the use of their <br /> proposed improvement. <br /> In order to accomplish only a 5' encroachment of the stoop and steps into the front yard would mean that <br /> the property owners would have to reduce the size of the proposed front porch from nearly 10' to less than <br /> 7,which they feel significantly limits their intent of having a useable living space in the front of their home. <br /> Mr. and Mrs.Johnson feel that the variance,if granted,would not alter the essential character of the <br /> neighborhood. They stated that adding a front porch to the front of their home would definitely not detract <br /> from the neighborhood,but rather would contribute to the overall openness and friendliness of the <br /> community. <br /> Economic considerations are not the only basis for the practical difficulties as previously described. The <br /> variance would surely allow them to add value to their home but also to the surrounding neighborhood. <br /> Staff received no comments regarding this project. <br /> Attachments: <br /> • Application and Written Statement <br /> • Site Map with Building Elevations <br /> • Photographs of Site <br /> • Architectural Drawings of Front Porch <br /> 092020it 34o8 Maplewood brive bncroachineni Van6ce.doc <br />