Board of Adjustment Agenda and Packet 2019 06 19

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Board of Adjustment Meeting Minutes May 15, 2019 Page 3 of 6 Stuart mentions that there is uniqueness in this property such as that it is on a hill whereas the east and south properties are not. Also, it is the only single family home along the highway that has no residential neighbors. He tells staff that there are other unique qualities that staff may have not considered when reviewing that criteria. Briggs asks staff if there are other properties similar to this one. Ritchie says that fence standards are the same. There is no variability for other properties that border higher speed roads Briggs asks if the fence standards are the same throughout the city. Ritchie says that they are all the same throughout the city. Briggs asks when the homeowner bought the property. Ritchie says the homeowner bought it in 2014. Stuart mentions that he does not see the character of the neighborhood being affected by this fence. Ritchie replies that the fence will not affect the industrial character but it can affect the open space feel. Gorsevski asks when the conservation easements were placed Ritchie says that in 1998, the general development plan established the conservation easement. Levinson asks if the type of fence matters. Ritchie says that there are other fences in the industrial area. The design for this industrial area is up to 10 feet but does not allow solid wood fences. She mentions that the applicant is most likely only interested in the solid wood fence design because it will provide the greatest noise reduction. Applicant Presentation: Applicant: Eric Hiivala, 10050 Empire Rd Hiivala reviews the six variance criteria and provides the board his reasoning of why his request meets each of the criteria. He mentions that the traffic on the highway has increased, causing greater noise. The property is also very unique in that it is zoned commercial but it is a single family home. The proposed fence would not only serve for noise reduction, but it would provide privacy and safety for others and animals as well. He mentions that Staff has proposed a four foot fence with landscaping in order to reduce the noise, but the four feet would not be a viable option for them because it would not be tall enough and they would still be able to view the highway from their house. He states that the final fence design has not been finalized yet, but mentions that his neighbor has a school bus in their yard for noise reduction and although he does not want to take that approach, he mentions it to give the board perspective that that is an option. Board Questions of Applicant: Stuart asks if he has considered berming. Hiivala states that it would take approximately 60-80 truckloads of dirt to do it but there are drawbacks to berming such as that it is more costly than building the fence and it takes away the mountain view.