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Watkins Variance – 13345 Homestead Avenue North Page 3 3 down or disturb. There are wetlands on each side of the driveway which make those areas unbuildable. The septic system is located on the west side of the home in the front yard and the property slopes down to the north, north of the house. There is an area that does not have trees, south of the driveway and west of the house, but this area is where the property drains to a wetland and the applicants stated they do not want to block drainage on their property by locating an accessory building in that area. The applicant has stated that the best location for additional storage space is to add on to the west side of the existing attached garage. It is the staff opinion that this condition has been met because of the constraints due to the location of the several large trees, wetlands, slopes, septic system, and drainage areas. c. Character of Neighborhood. The variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood. The accessory building ordinance discourages having accessory buildings located in front of the house. The applicant would be allowed to place an accessory building behind the home. he setbacks in the ordinance are intended for lots that are 10 acres or more and this property is 5 acres. The property has screening on the south and west lot lines from adjacent properties. The addition would not noticeably change the character of the area. It is in staff’s opinion that there are practical difficulties in meeting the RR setback requirements and the square footage requirements for attached garages. The property owner is proposing to use the property in a reasonable manner by constructing an addition. The constraints due to the location of the several large trees, wetlands, slopes, septic system, and drainage areas make it difficult to find a good place for an accessory building without grading to reroute drainage and removal of trees. Given the location of the proposed addition and the existing vegetation on site, the approval of the variance request would not noticeably alter the character of the neighborhood. (3) Spirit and Intent. The granting of the variance would be in keeping with the spirit and intent of this chapter and with the policies of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The spirit and intent of the attached garage ordinance is to not have the attached garage dominate the look of the front of the house. The proposed addition would be relatively small and well hidden, so as to not dominate the appearance of the house. The accessory building ordinance discourages having accessory buildings located in front of the house. The proposed addition would be meet the spirit and intent of the accessory building ordinance. The spirit and intent of the ordinance for a side yard setback is to require a minimum amount of space between buildings and the property line. It is the staff’s opinion that there would be a reasonable amount of space between the addition and the property line, although a portion of the addition would encroach into the rear and side yard setback.