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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9111 Staff AnalysisFEBRUARY 29, 2016 ITFM NO - 2 File No.: Z-9111 Owner: Bricker Properties, LLC Applicant: Jonathan Bricker Address: 5405 Stonewall Road Description: Lot 2, Block 23, Newton Addition Zoned: R-2 Variance Requested: A variance is requested from the area provisions of Section 36-254 to allow a new residence with a reduced side setback. Justification: The applicant's justification is presented in an attached letter. Present Use of Property: Vacant lot Proposed Use of Property: Single family residential STAFF REPORT A. Public Works Issues: No Comments. B. Building Codes Comments: The required fire separation distance (building to property line) prescribed by the building code terminates at five (5) feet. Buildings are allowed to be closer than five (5) feet if they have properly constructed fire walls which provide the requisite one (1) hour fire resistance rating. When buildings are five (5) feet or more from the property line, the requirement no longer applies to the wall itself, only the projections such as eaves or overhangs. Openings such as doors and windows are limited when the exterior wall is three (3) feet from the property line, and are prohibited when the exterior wall is less than three (3) feet from the line. There is no restriction on openings when the exterior wall is more than three (3) feet from the property line. Contact the City of Little Rock Building Codes at 371-4832 for additional details. FEBRUARY 29, 2016 ITEM NO.: 2 (CON'T. C. Staff Analysis: The R-2 zoned property at 5405 Stonewall Road is currently vacant. The property is located on the south side of Stonewall Road, between N. Tyler and N. Polk Streets. A house which previously existed on the site has been removed. The lot has a slight slope downward from front to back (north to south). The applicant proposes to construct a new two-story residence on the property, as noted on the attached site plan. The main footprint of the residence will be located over 25 feet from the front (north) and rear (south) property lines, and five (5) feet from the east and west side property lines. The applicant is proposing a covered carport on the east side of the residence. The carport will be one (1) story in height and will be unenclosed on its north, south and east sides. The carport will be 8.92 feet by 23 feet in area. The carport will be located 1.67 feet from the east side property line. Section 36-254 (d) (2) of the City's Zoning Ordinance requires a minimum side setback of five (5) feet for this R-2 zoned lot. Therefore, the applicant is requesting a variance to allow the carport portion of the residence to be 1.67 feet from the east side property line. Staff is supportive of the requested side setback variance. Staff views the request as reasonable. The entire footprint of the proposed home complies with ordinance setback requirements, with the exception of the carport portion. Staff typically views 1.5 feet as being the minimal setback for the construction and maintenance of a one (1) story structure. In this case staff feels that adequate separation will exist between the proposed carport and the house immediately to the east. Staff believes the proposed one (1) story, unenclosed carport will have no adverse impact on the adjacent properties or the general area. D. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the requested side setback variance, subject to the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the Building Codes requirements as noted in paragraph B. of the staff report. 2. The carport must remain unenclosed on its north, south and east sides. 3. Guttering must be provided, if necessary, to prohibit water run-off onto the property immediately to the east. K FEBRUARY 29, 2016 ITEM NO.: 2 (CON'T. BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT (February 29, 2016) The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval as outlined in the "staff recommendation" above. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the consent agenda and approved as recommended by the vote of 4 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. Jq, --o- -I--71W We're requesting a variance for covered parking on the east side of our lot. This covered parking is a very minimal structure that doesn't have any enclosed space and will be used to store one vehicle. Covered parking has a long tradition in this neighborhood and adds to the character and value of our house, not to mention that many of the homes original to this neighborhood have/had them. A small portion of the east setback (5'-0") from the property line will be encroached on by 3 feet and 8 inches, as shown in attached drawing. The typical lot sizes in our area are very narrow and make it a challenge to provide shelter from the elements for my wife and children. The width of the covered parking is as narrow as possible to still allow a midsized car to fit with room to open the doors. We've also minimized the height from the neighbors immediately adjacent to the East. The top of the low slope roof is at 10'-0" at the highest point so only 4'-0" of the covered parking is visible from above the neighbors 6'-0" privacy fence. There is also a large Oak tree on the Eastern side of the lot that will remain. In keeping this large tree we feel we will help maintain the neighbor's privacy as well as keep the character of the neighborhood we love so much. We designed our home to maintain the tree rather than clear cutting the lot to build the largest home in the neighborhood. We believe we're building very responsibly within the context of the surrounding neighborhood and are requesting a small variance to allow for this design to happen. Thank you all very much for your time and we appreciate you considering our request.