Board of Adjustment Agenda and Packet 2013 10 16

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The proposed garage addition would be located on the northwest corner of the existing home and would provide a net increase of 380 square feet of lot coverage. This additional square footage would increase the total lot coverage percentage from 16.79% to 21.32% (1,788 square feet). The existing house was built in 1983 as part of the Saratoga Subdivision. The subdivision was approved as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) under section 17.28 of the LMC. Section 17.28.110 of the LMC states the yard and bulk requirements of the underlying zone district apply unless they are specifically modified by the PUD. The Saratoga PUD modified the setback, parking, and height requirements in the subdivision, but did not modify the lot coverage requirement. The subject property is zoned Residential Estate (RE), which allows a maximum lot coverage of 20%. The proposed improvements exceed the maximum lot coverage permitted under the zoning code by 1.32%, and approval of a variance from the requirements of the Municipal Code is required before building permits can be issued. The RE zone district, however, does not match well with the Saratoga neighborhood. The minimum lot size allowed in the RE zone district is 12,000 square feet, while the lots in the Saratoga subdivision are all about 8,000 square feet. The applicant's lot is 8,385 square feet. The entire Saratoga Subdivision, and indeed a sizeable portion of the City which is zoned RE, does not fit the current yard and bulk standards of the RE zone district.