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<br /> <br />2 <br />SUMMARY: <br />The applicant requests a variance from the Old Town Overlay and landmark incentive <br />standards to allow an addition to the existing residence as part of a local landmark <br />application that would preserve the historic church building on the site. The application <br />includes the following requests: <br />1. Floor area standard of 3,000 square feet to allow 3,819 square feet <br />2. Lot coverage standard of 2,700 square feet to allow 2,978 square feet <br />3. Rear setback standard of 25’ to allow 0” <br />4. Side setback standard of 5’ to allow 2’-0” <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br />The property is located in the Pleasant Hill subdivision, platted in 1894. The building was <br />originally constructed in 1901 to be the Louisville Baptist Church. A rear addition was <br />constructed in 1946, and records indicate this annex was expanded further in 1958. More <br />expansion work was done in the 1960s and 1980s. The home currently includes 3,748 SF <br />of finished area, not including the basement, and is nonconforming to the existing zoning <br />requirements for lot coverage, floor area, and setbacks (described in more detail under the <br />Proposal section below). <br /> <br />The building served as the Baptist Church until about 1971, when church leaders sold it to <br />be used as a residence. This building and the Methodist Church building at 741 Jefferson <br />Ave are the only original church buildings that date back to that early era that are still <br />standing. A more complete history of the property through February 2019 prepared by <br />Bridget Bacon of the Louisville Historical Museum is included as an attachment. <br /> <br />701 Grant Ave, early 1900s <br />The applicants purchased the property in <br />2019 with the intent to continue its use as <br />a single family home. The structure is in <br />need of significant repairs and upgrades <br />to become livable. The applicants also <br />intend to Landmark the property through <br />the Historic Preservation program, but <br />are seeking the variance first to ensure <br />the reconstruction proposal is approved <br />under the zoning regulations prior to <br />requesting approval of Landmark status, <br />and a City-funded grant to help with <br />funding preservation work. If the <br />variance requests are approved, they <br />would need be conditional upon approval <br />of a Landmark application since this <br />application is being reviewed in the <br />context of a landmark request and <br />associated zoning allowances. <br /> <br /> <br />12