SR 06:247 - Laserfiche WebLink

DRAFT Commissioner Pearce thanked staff for their hard work and effort on this application and noted that neighbor disputes were especially challenging, While she appreciated the Boyces' desire to expand their house to accommodate their family, she needed a compelling reason to give a variance. She could make the findings for the sideyard variance but did not know what the possibilities were with respect to the garage, She believed the rear neighbors would be most affected by the garage but that they did not hear from them, She would like the Boyces to get the FAR below 40 percent Chairperson Arkin appreciated the difficulty ofthis application and understood the privacy issues, He believed the height was not unreasonable but believed the garage was slightly too big, He had difficulty with the proposed FAR and believed that the public testimony was very compelling, He expressed concern about many additional smaller lots going to larger F ARs and could not support this application for that reason, He believed the proposed house was too big for the lot Commissioner O'Connor believed the garage was too big, He noted that if the applicants did not excavate and built a gentle slope to the garage instead, it would be 25 feet high; the peak would be 25 feet high above the existing driveway, He suggested replacing some of the attic windows with skylights to mitigate the privacy issues, He suggested that moving the windowsills from five feet to six feet above floor level would provide more privacy, He noted that to bring this project to 40-percent FAR compliance, the back ofthe house must be brought up about five feet, which would not resolve height, massing, and privacy issues, Commissioner Fox moved to deny PADR-1338IPV-131, based on the fact that the findings as listed in the staff report could not be made. Commissioner Arkin seconded the motion. Chairperson Arkin reiterated that he also wished this application could have first come before the Planning Commission as a workshop, ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: RECUSED: ABSENT: Conunissioners Arkin, Blank, Fox, and Pearce, Conunissioner Olson, None, None, None, Resolution No, PC-2006-52 was entered and adopted as motioned, Commissioner Fox suggested that mediation may be helpful in the appeal process, Chairperson Arkin noted that an appeal to the City Council may be filed within 15 days, EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES, September 27, 2006 Page 80f8