03-19-2012 Planning Commission Packet

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, , 12-3544 15 February 2012 Page 7 of 9 proposed the new home will be situated, at its closest point, 33.1 feet from the property line and 54 feet from the paved surface of Ferndale Road. The stone building is not proposed to be moved and will remain 0 feet from the lot line. The applicant's proposed home could potentially be reduced or reoriented to better fit into the buildable envelope but in staff's opinion the limited building area appropriately falls under practical difficulty. As illustrated by the aerial photos the stone building is currently screened from Ferndale Road by mature trees. The owners have expressed their intent to maintain and enhance this vegetative screening. Lakeshore Setback Variance The new home is proposed to be set back at the same distance from the lake as the existing home (47 feet). The proposed home has been designed and oriented to have minimal massing within the 75 foot area. The shape of the lot and the required setbacks from the rear/street,wetlands and lake result in a very small buildable envelope. As indicated above in staff's opinion,the limited size of the applicant's legal buildable envelope falls under practical difficulty. Avera�e Lakeshore Setback Variance While the proposed 47' setback from the lake is consistent with the setback of the existing home (29 feet ahead of the neighboring home), a large brick patio and a greater portion of the existing home sit lakeward of the average setback line, concentrating much of the outdoor activity and massing within the average lakeshore setback area. The applicant's proposal orients the proposed home and outdoor living:uspace further from the neighbor from the side and from within the average lake setback. Additionally, the neighbor's most direct view of the lake to the west and south west are not over the subject property. Hardcover The applicant is proposing to remove a large brick patio and home from the 0 to 75 foot zone; their proposal will add house, upper level deck and patio back into this zone resulting in a net decrease of 689 square feet or 5%a. • As proposed the driveway consists of 1,291 square feet of hardcover or 8% of the 75' to 250' hardcover proposed. However combined with the challenging building envelope it appears to be an awkward property to access adequately; the proposed driveway may be reasonable for maneuverability and to allow minimal off street guest parking. To offset the driveway hardcover, the sidewalk and walkways proposed could be reduced to the Code allowed minimum of 24" without reducing functionality or safety. „ The proposed hardcover on the property and its proximity to the lake and wetlands offer few stormwater infiltration opportunities.The Planning Commission should discuss whether appropriate screening and infiltration opportunities exist and possibly require a vegetative screening and buffering plan. � Additionally, the submitted hardcover calculation worksheets appear to reflect a minor inconsistency between the square footage shown on the survey and those reflected in the worksheets. Staff did not do a full line by line comparison. However in comparing the size of the stone building shown on the survey (16.4' x 22' = 360.8 square feet)to the number reported on the hardcover calculation worksheets (220 s.f. + 117 s.f. = 337 square feet) staff found the numbers did not match. The hardcover calculation sheets should be revised by the surveyor to assure accuracy and consistency with the surveyed data.