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25 remodeling efforts are contributing to the community -wide effort to maintain St. Anthony's housing stock. Additional benefits to the community by these individual efforts include continuing and contributing to the sense of community, the quality of life and encouraging a sense of a village that is welcoming to neighbors. These are qualities that the City has adopted as a vision for the community; and WHEREAS, economic considerations alone are not the basis of the hardship. While the variance, if approved, would certainly allow the Bowers to update the look of their home, adding curb appeal and ultimately increasing the market value of their home, their primary interest as communicated to staff would be in creating a larger living space for their growing family. While maintaining the value of this property is important, it is not the only consideration for the property owners. They have expressed a desire to live in a community that is committed to fostering and encouraging positive relationships among neighbors and allows for the easy enjoyment of their property; and WHEREAS, the circumstances causing the hardship are unique to the individual lot. The applicants reported that the lot is a 7,500 SF interior residential lot on Harding Street with the existing house built in 1955, both of which are typical for the time. However, by 1976, when the City codified the Zoning Ordinances, the minimum residential lot size became 9,000SF. While the situation is not specifically unique to this property as the City has several residential properties in the area that were platted and built upon in the 1940s and 1950s and that are non -conforming to those standards established in 1976, these properties do continue to evolve, being updated with currently accepted design standards and aesthetics. In order to maintain the City's housing stock, renovations and design changes will on occasion require formal and legal action on the part of the City to support the residents' efforts that create safe, secure and comfortable places to live; and WHEREAS, the granting of the variance is in keeping with the spirit and intent of the Zoning Code. The Zoning Code was adopted to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the City and its residents. By granting this variance, the general welfare of neighborhood is protected by the efforts of property owners to reinvest in their property thereby continuing to enhance the value of their home, contributing to the spirit of community and fostering positive relationships with neighbors, and thus creating a safer and more secure community; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commissioners unanimously voted to recommend approval of the proposed one (1) foot variance to the Front Yard Setback Encroachment for 3038 Harding Street NE.