Board of Adjustment Agenda and Packet 2023 09 20

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increase the lot coverage, decrease the usable backyard space, and/or require the destruction of an existing building. In addition, the existing garage is far enough into the setback that starting the development of the addition 15 feet back would still require greater cantilevering or result in a smaller addition than would otherwise be possible by maximizing the existing garage footprint. Staff finds that the location of the existing garage prevents the reasonable development of a second -story garage addition without a variance. Staff finds the proposal meets this criterion. 4. That such unnecessary hardship has not been created by the applicant. The existing nonconforming setback dates from the 1960s or earlier and is not the result of any actions by the applicant. Staff finds the proposal meets this criterion. 5. That the variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood or district in which the property is located, nor substantially or permanently impair the appropriate use or development of adjacent property. The neighborhood includes a number of garages with near -zero setbacks from streets and alleys, including a two-story garage immediately to the south of the subject property. In addition, the street layout in this part of Old Town is such that major streets, such as Main Street and Front Street, dead-end into Community Park and the East-West alley abutting the south of the subject property operates as a throughway for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers along Community Park. This street layout results in a neighborhood character wherein streets and alleys share similar uses and feelings, unlike other areas of Old Town where the differentiation between the setback -to -the -street and the alley -setback distances help mitigate the impact of accessory structures on streets versus alleys. In addition, the strip of Main Street immediately adjacent to the subject property has an inward jog that results in a deeper -appearing setback for the existing garage. Staff finds the proposal meets this criterion. Aerial showing jog and narrowing on Main Street. Streetview of neighborhood showing street and alley layout.