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� FILE#16-3874 <br /> October 13,2016 <br /> Page 5 of 7 <br /> 12. The granting of such variances will not merely serve as a convenience to the applicant, <br /> but is necessary to alleviate demonstrable difficulty. In the opinion of staff, granting <br /> of the area and width variance is necessary to solve an obvious practical difficulty. <br /> Granting of some magnitude of hardcover and structural coverage variances is <br /> also necessary in order to allow construction of a home that is commensurate with <br /> the surrounding neighborhood, and which provides for functionality and room <br /> sizes that are reasonably expected and accepted as normal in the neighborhood. <br /> The Commission may recommend and the Council may iinpose conditions in granting of <br /> variances. Any conditions imposed inust be directly related to and must bear a rough <br /> proportionality to the impact created by the variance. No variance shall be granted or <br /> changed beyond the use pei-�i�itted in this chapter in the district where such land is located. <br /> Analysis— Lot Area and Width Variances <br /> Lakeshore lots on the western shore of Crystal Bay were platted between Shadywood Road <br /> and the lakeshore in the 1890s. These lots were typically 50-60 feet in width, and varied in <br /> depth due to the relatively straight road and curvilinear shoreline. The applicants' lot is at <br /> one of the "pinch points" where the lot depth is relatively short. On a majority of the <br /> originally platted lots individual cabins were built, which over time have been remodeled <br /> or replaced with larger homes. In a small number of cases, two or more lakeshore lots have <br /> been combined to create a larger lot, but a majority of the properties remain as single lots <br /> and most are significantly smaller than the '/2-acre requirement of the LR-1C district. The <br /> fact that applicants' property contains an existing residence and has been assessed for and <br /> is connected to municipal sewer and water, are factors which inherently support the granting <br /> of lot area and width variances for construction of a new residence. <br /> Analysis— Side Setback Variance <br /> The survey indicating a proposed side setback of 9.9 feet to the north lot line may be <br /> inadvertent. With a proposed setback of 10.4 feet shown on the south side, it should not be <br /> a problem to reposition the house to meet the required 10-foot side setback on both sides. <br /> There is no apparent justification for a variance to the side setback requirement. <br /> Analysis—Structural Lot Coverage <br /> Staff does not generally recommend granting a variance for structural lot coverage for a new <br /> home where there are opportunities for an alternate design, especially in a complete <br /> teardown/rebuild situation. The 15% limit was established in 1989 primarily to limit <br /> structural massing on properties less than 2 acres in area. Lots smaller than 10,000 s.f. are <br /> allowed 1,500 s.f. of structural lot coverage. City approvals or denials of variances to the <br /> lot coverage requirement have not been extremely consistent through the years, but when <br /> granted have often been predicated on livability, functionality and safety associated with <br /> use of a property. <br /> The applicants propose complete removal of the fairly small(20'x36')cabin existing on the <br /> property. The property has no garage, and apparently has been used seasonally for many <br /> years. The proposed new house with a 2-stall attached garage will provide for a <br />