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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApplication (10-79)0 CITY OF Cor,l.ecr STXfION Hoare of Texa; ABM University" E-mail fortli@aol.com MINIMUM SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS: ❑x $250 Zoning Board of Adjustment Application Fee. ❑ Application completed in full. This application form provided by the City of College Station must be used and may not be adjusted or altered. Please attach pages if additional information is provided. ❑ Additional materials may be required of the applicant such as site plans, elevation drawings, sign details, and floor plans. The applicant shall be informed of any extra materials required. Date of Optichal Preapplication Conference ADDRESS 504 Guernsey, College Station, Texas 77840 LEGAL DESCRIPTION (Lot, Block, Subdivision) Lot 1R, Block 10, Replat of Lots 1 and 2, College Park APPLICANT/PROJECT MANAGER'S INFORMATION (Primary contact for the project): Name Russ and Linda Harvell E-mail fortli@aol.com Street Address 504 Guernsey City College Station Phone Number 979-703-5305 ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT APPLICATION PROPERTY OWNER'S INFORMATION (ALL owners must be identified. Please attach an additional sheet for multiple owners): Name Russ and Linda Harvell Street Address 504 Guernsey City College Station Phone Number 979-703-7200 Current zoning of subject property Residential Action requested (check all that apply) [,-j Setback variance ❑ ❑ Parking variance ❑ ❑ Sign variance ❑ ❑ Lot dimension variance ❑ Applicable crdinance section to vary from: FOR OFFICE USE ON CASE NO.: DATE SUBMITTED: TIME: STAFF: State Texas Zip Code 77840 Fax Number 866-630-1730 State Texas Zip Code 77840 Fax Number 866-630-1730 Appeal of Written Interpretation Special Exception Drainage Variance Other 10/09 Page 1 of 5 X GENERAL VARIANCE REQUEST 1. The following specific variation from the ordinance is requested: - See attached This variance is necessary due to the following special conditions: Special Condition Definition: To justify a variance, the difficulty must be due to unique circumstances involving the particular property. The unique circumstances must be related to a physical characteristic of the property itself, not to the owner's personal situation. This is because regardless of ownership, the variance will run with the land. Exampla: A creek bisecting a lot, a smaller buildable area than is seen on surrounding lots, specimen trees. Note: A cul-de-sac is a standard street layout in College Station. The shape of standard cul-de-sac lots are generally not special conditions. See attached 3. The unnecessary hardship(s) involved by meeting the provisions of the ordinance other than financial hardship is/are: Hardship Definition: The inability to make reasonable use of the property in accord with the literal requirements of the law. The hardship must be a direct result of the special condition. Example: A hardship of a creek bisecting a lot could be the reduction of the buildable area on the lot, when compared to neighboring properties. See attached 4. The following alternatives to the requested variance are possible: 5. This variance will not be contrary to the public interest by virtue of the following facts: We have the full support of our neighbors for our request for variance. Jerry Cooper and George Dresser addressed the ZBA last fall and Mr. Dresser, our immediate next door neighbor, wrote a letter of support. The applicant has prepared this application and certifies that the facts stated herein and exhibits attached hereto are true, correct, and complete. IF THIS APPLICATION IS FILED BY ANYONE OTHER THAN THE OWNER OF THE PROPF_R1 Y; this application must be accompanied by a power of attomey statement from the owner. 11 there is more than one owner, all owners must sign the application or the power of attorney. If the owner is a company, the application must be accompanied by proof of authority for the company's representative to sign the application on its behalf. w04 - /L /P Signature and title Date 10/09 Page 2 of 5 o a To: Matthew Hilgemeier Staff Planner, Planning and Development Services Zoning Board of Adjustments From: Russ and Linda Harvell Re: Request for Variance - 504 Guernsey Date: May 7, 2010 Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Zoning Board of Adjustments regarding a variance request for the building of a garage on our property. Our request is as follows: Request: A variance of the SW rear setback from 20' to 12'. Request: A variance of the SE side street setback from 20' to 8'. Our home at 504 Guernsey Street, (corner of Guernsey Street and Welsh Avenue) City of College Station, Historic House #34, was built in 1942 and has been in our family for approximately fifty-eight (58) years. Linda (Bloom) Harvel!'s family moved into the house when she was five years old. The renovation has come full circle, and we have been able to preserve many of the original features of the home, and undoubtedly, we are a very positive addition to our neighborhood - the oldest in College Station The house has never had an attached garage. The original detached garage burned over forty years ago and was never replaced. We need a detached garage for vehicles and storage. Based on the input from the ZBA, we are revising our plans which will be presented at the June meeting. We apologize that the new plans are not ready to submit with this application. These requests for variances are not contrary to the public interest because: This will still comply with the 10' Public Utility Easement. Our neighbor to the immediate southeast (Lot 10R Block C), whose house faces Welsh Avenue, has a 7' side setback. Our proposed garage will also face Welsh Avenue and, therefore, an 8' side setback on our Lot would still be consistent. H Our NW side setback is 7'/2`. An 8' SE side setback would still place the garage approximately 28' from the pavement edge of Welsh Avenue. By granting our request for the variance, the drainage issues which we face (arid which have been a major problem in this yard for many years) will be easier to control. We are working with Palomares Construction on the best ways to divert the runoff water we get with every rainfall. The placement of the garage is crucial to having it affordably done. Having the garage closer to the street, we will eliminate the flooding issues in the side yard closer to Welsh. Granting these variances will allow us to make the best use of the available space on our lot by minimizing tree removal, correcting drainage and subsequent insect problems that have existed for decades and improve current environmental conditions. Elimination of these problems will also improve the aesthetics of the immediate area as well as the College Park neighborhood in general. It should be noted that our variance request has the support of our neighbors. They do not see it as unreasonable and approve of our plans to make the best use of our property regarding the location of the garage. They are also very pleased with the building plans that have been drawn up by our architect, Fred Wor!ey. We have felt it was important to keep them in the loop as they, too, have invested in our neighborhood. It should be noted that because of the location of the garage and our requested variance, there are no blind spots coming either way on Welsh Avenue, or in turning off of Guernsey. It should be noted that this is not a financial investment for resell or rental purposes. This is the home we will be spending the rest of our lives in. Living in a neighborhood that is made up primarily of rental houses and college students, where old homes have been torn down and duplexes have been put up, we are investing in the future of College Park and the City of College Station. We live in an area where on street parking is rampant, there are numerous unsightly metal carports and large parking pads for multiple vehicles fill most of the yards. Our garage will enhance not only our property out our neighborhood. It appears that we are not establishing a precedent by our variance request. Within a three block radius of our lot, there are several newer structures located on Montclair, Kerry, Dexter and Angus that have buildings as close to the street pavement edge (not the property line) as 19 feet. Please know that we are semi-retired and have no plans to sell this property that has been in our family since 1952. 0 0 We are working with a professional Master Arborist, Architect and Landscape Architect to avoid any negative impact on the natural resources and maximize the land improvement features. !f the variance is denied, locating the garage directly behind the house, facing the house (NW) wouid require the removal of all large trees that are native to Texas, including several other shade trees. This would remove approximately 70% of the shade in the back yard. By eliminating 70% of the current shade, this would result in inefficient and wasteful use of water and electricity. The garage would also take up a major potion of the back yard, leaving little space for us or our family to enjoy. if the variance is denied, it will put the side of the garage 6' from our patio, past our deck off of the Master Bedroom, completely obstructing any "view" we might otherw;se enjoy of a nicely landscaped back yard. We understand that the City of College Station focuses on "quality lifestyle" of its citizens (having gone through the 2010 Citizens University, this was emphasized by every department). We are not wealthy and do not spend money lavishly. We do enjoy year `round outdoor living with our family and friends. We have designed the back of our home with this in mind. Thank you so much for your consideration. Our variance request enables us to make a positive improvement to our property, offers the most practical use of it and it optimizes the best use of our land. We pledge to the City of College Station that we will not abuse this variance and our project will be one that we and our neighborhood will all be proud of.