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are much closer than 10 feet. There may need to be a distinction between garages, which enter <br />from the alley, and other types of accessory structures. <br />Staff Presentation (Street Side Yard Setbacks): At this time the street side yard setbacks are <br />identical to the front yard setbacks, so on a corner lot you have the requirement for two full front <br />yards. In some of the newer PUD's there is some reduction given to that street side yard, or <br />secondary front yard. It may be appropriate to use the same approach as with the side yards, <br />which would be to vary the requirement depending upon the lot width. Another approach would <br />be to use the average and apply it specifically to street side yards. Another issue is that of the side <br />yard to the alley. <br />P/C Questions to Staff (Setbacks) <br />Q. What are the Planning objectives in terms of setting up setback requirements? <br />A. Primarily, to provide, at the basic level, light and air, especially with regard to side yard <br />setbacks, and to provide a pleasant street scape, something that is relatively uniform. Also, <br />to provide for reasonable landscaped areas and private open space areas. <br />Q. Are there typically utilities running in the alley that need access considerations? <br />A. In the Old Town, typically the electric, etcetera, is running overhead in the alley. There <br />are, occasionally, water and sewer lines to consider. <br />Q. Will the electric utilities in the alleys of Old Town eventually all be underground? <br />A. I am not aware of any plans for that at this point. <br />Q. With regard to the front yard setbacks, is that measurement taken from the sidewalk? <br />A. No, from the front property line. Typically, is a detached sidewalk that is close to the edge <br />of the property line. In the newer areas, it is usually some distance back. <br />Q. What about the area with some homes, of landscaping between the sidewalk and the street? <br />A. That is within the public right-of-way. <br />Q. What about the effect of setbacks on the vision clearance areas? <br />A. That is certainly something that needs to be addressed. We would need to determine the <br />possible effects on the vision clearance a reduction in the setbacks may have. I will study <br />that more closely. <br />Staff Presentation (Lot Coverage): Staff would suggest, as with the setbacks, that some <br />flexibility be built into the lot coverage that is allowed according to the size of lot. Thus, <br />balancing the need for a reasonable buildable area on the property, addressing any concerns there <br />might be with regard to over building on the property. In conjunction with that, it may be helpful <br />to distinguish lot coverage by principle structures, verses lot coverage by accessory structures. <br />This could address the problem of having a very small house with a very large accessory structure. <br />Another problem with the larger accessory structure is the home occupation, or hobby, that <br />becomes a nuisance to the neighborhood. Another possible way to supplement the lot coverage <br />standards is to use floor area ratios to prevent having very large homes on very small lots. <br />Staff Presentation (Building Height): The current standard is 35 feet, although a 27 foot <br />standard was adopted for the newer zone districts. One possibility, through the PUD process, <br />3 <br />