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Zoning File #2253 <br />July 14,1997 <br />Page 2 <br />Discussion <br />The existing house on the property is small and in poor condition, and has not been lived in for a few <br />years. Applicant proposes to remove the existing house and either rebuild himself or .sell the lot as <br />a building site. A third option he is considering is sale to neighboring property owners for additional <br />yard area. <br />Applicant has not provided plans for a proposed house for the site. It may be reasonable to grant the <br />variances requested to replace the existing house without knowing the parameters of a new house, <br />only if all setback, hardcover and lot coverage requirements are intended to be adhered to. <br />Given the 35% hardcover limit, the 1.500 s.f lot coverage allowance, and the required front, rear, <br />side yard setback requirements, a modest residence with two car attached garage could be developed <br />on this property without variances other than the requested lot arca/width variances. A conforming <br />residence might include the following: <br />A. 28*x36' house + 24'x20 ‘ attached garage = 1,488 s.f <br />16'x30 ’ driveway = 480 s.f. ’ <br />3'x32 ’sidewalk = 96 s.f. <br />10'x28 ’deck“ 180 s.f. <br />lO’xlO'shed =100 s.f. <br />Toul hardcover = 2,344 s.f. or 34.9% <br />Total lot coverage = 1,488 s.f. <br />B. <br />C. <br />D. <br />E. <br />This home could be two stories in height to gain square footage, but would have to be set at the 30' <br />street setback line in order to meet hardcover requirements. Further, the attached garage would have <br />to face the street. This combination of limitations leaves little flexibility in design, but may also <br />yield an opportunity for creativity. <br />Hardship <br />Both adjacent properties contain existing homes, hence no additional land is available to make the <br />lot larger. Further, of 73 homes in the neighborhood bounded by Shadywood Road on the east and <br />Blaine Avenue on the west, including Livingston Avenue, Lyric Avenue and Crystal Place. 41 arc <br />on single 50 ’ lots. 23 are on double 100' lots, and 9 are on triple 150' or larger lou. Construction of <br />a new residence on this property would not be out of character with the neighborhood, even though <br />it would be significantly smaller than the zoning district standards. Also, it can be argued that a <br />property containing a residence which meets the lot coverage, setback and hardcover standards <br />should not be considered as "over built". Additionally, allowing the replacement of the existing <br />deteriorated structure with a modest residence will help the City meet its goal of maintaining <br />affordable housing in the City.