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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes June 25, 2018 Page 2 equal to the greater of 30 feet or a distance equal to the average of the front yard depths of the 1 two adjacent lots. The front yard setback of the house to the north is 54’ and the front yard 2 setback of the house to the south is 27’ 6” which would make the required front yard setback for 3 this property 40’8”. 4 5 Ms. Rothstein showed an overhead view of the property and surrounding properties. The 6 applicable codes were reviewed and a floorplan of the addition was provided. 7 8 The applicant’s request to construct the addition is reasonable and the addition will not alter the 9 essential character of this neighborhood. Staff recommends approval of the variance request. 10 11 Ms. Rothstein reviewed the Criteria for and Consistency with Criteria for Variance Approval. 12 13 The subject matter of the application is within the scope of this section. The application for a 14 variance to front yard setback is an eligible subject matter for variance criteria because these 15 factors are related to dimensional and/or bulk standards – Criterion met. 16 17 Strict enforcement would cause practical difficulties because the property owner proposes to use 18 the property in a reasonable manner not permitted by the zoning code. The applicant is proposing 19 to add additional living space of 278 square feet. The request is not unreasonable for a family 20 that wishes to increase the capacity of their home so that they may stay in the community. While 21 there may be other options for placement of the addition, an addition to the front of the home 22 will add positive aesthetics to the front view of the home – Criterion met. 23 24 The plight of the property owner is due to circumstances unique to the property not created by 25 the property owner. The property is located on a block where most homes have a similar setback, 26 except the house located to the north, which has a setback of 54 feet. The minimum setback of 27 the R-1 District is 30 feet or the average of depth of the adjacent properties, whichever is more. 28 The setback of the home to the north is particularly large and exceeds the setback distance by 24 29 feet otherwise the applicant’s setback of 33’ 8” would be permissible. The conditions created by 30 surrounding property owners are the origin of this variance request, not created by the applicants 31 themselves – Criterion met. 32 33 The variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the locality; and granting of this 34 variance will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood. Most homes on this block 35 have similar front yard setbacks – Criterion met. 36 37 Economic considerations alone are not the basis of the practical difficulties. The applicant’s 38 request is not related to any financial considerations and granting the variance would not relieve 39 the applicant of any financial hardship – Criterion met. 40 41 The variance, if granted, would be consistent with the City’s comprehensive land use plan. If the 42 variance is granted the use of the property would remain the same land use as it is today, low-43 density residential. The comprehensive plan guides this area detached housing units and granting 44 this variance will not alter that land use – Criterion met. 45 46