Board of Adjustment Agenda and Packet 2020 05 20

Home Browse Search

Board of Adjustment Meeting Minutes February 19, 2020 Page 5 of 8 Beauchamp says they will be adding shed dormers into the roof to raise the ceiling line to make the existing floor area usable. They will not be changing the garage. The only exterior addition is the breezeway connection. Cooper asks if he can elaborate on how the alleyway is unique to the property and how it affects the street and neighbors. Beauchamp says the alley to the north of the property has very little vehicle traffic but heavy pedestrian traffic. The homeowners maintain the alley, and there is a large buffer between the alley and their property. He also mentions that the front porch cannot be seen from the park. Stuart moves and Leedy seconds a motion to add photos as presented by the applicant and a document of support to the meeting packet. Motion passes by unanimous voice vote. Stuart asks if the letter of support is a neighbor of the applicant. Brennan says the letter was written from a local architect. Public Comment in Favor: Gail Wetrogan, 930 McKinley Ave Wetrogan states that she will have the most affected property by this project. She thinks what the applicant is requesting is a very reasonable variation and it is a thoughtful design. Her concern is that if the variance is not approved, in the future, the house will be scraped and a larger home will be built there, overwhelming her smaller house. Jessie Kowalski, 945 McKinley Ave Kowalski tells the board that she lives across the street from the property. She believes the design is very much within the character of Old Town, and explains the uniqueness of the property to the board. The home is not visible from McKinley Park and the visual impact is very minimal. Public Comment Against: None heard. Summary and request by Staff and Applicant: None heard. Closed Public Hearing and discussion by Board: Stuart believes that all six criteria are met. Beginning with the first criteria, the property was nonconforming when they bought it so that is not the homeowner’s fault. He also mentions that it has several unique aspects and unique physical characteristics. Cooper discusses criteria one. She goes into detail of the uniqueness of the lot. She also mentions that the lot areas footprint was created long before the current owners lived in the house. 7