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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 07-22-248 of 13 CARMEL BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS HEARING OFFICER DEPARTMENT REPORT MONDAY, JULY 22, 2024 (V) 131 4th St NW Variances. The applicant seeks the following development standards variance approvals: 10. Docket No. PZ-2024-00113 V UDO Section 3.64(C)(1) Maximum 55-ft house width allowed, 84-ft requested. 11. Docket No. PZ-2024-00114 V UDO Section 3.64(C)(3) Maximum 45% lot cover allowed, 49.5% requested. 12. Docket No. PZ-2024-00115 V UDO Section 3.64(C)(4) Garage Setback – The front face of the garage must be at least 15-ft further from the front lot line than the primary front line of the principal building, 0-ft further requested. The site is located at 131 4th St NW. It is zoned R2/Residence and Old Town Character Sub-Area. Filed by Stanley Burrell, on behalf of L&C Enterprises LLC, owners. General Info: • The Petitioner seeks approval to construct a new house with attached garage and accessory dwelling. • BZA variances are requested for house width, lot coverage, and garage setback. • The parcel dimensions are 99 feet wide by 152 feet deep. It only has one street frontage. • There is a Hamilton County legal drain that runs along the west side of the parcel. • The site is not located in any Subdivision. • Since it lies within the Old Town Overlay District, Character Subarea, it is subject to administrative city review of architecture, landscaping, etc. via the SDR process (for Site Plan & Design Review). • Surrounding this site are single family residential homes. • Pending building permit is B-2024-00607. • Please see the Petitioner’s info packet for more detail on the variance requests. Variances Requested: Building Width - • Per the UDO regulations for the Old Town Overlay District Character Subarea, buildings shall generally be longer than they are wide, with the narrow dimension facing the street. Building widths shall not exceed 45 feet except where the lot is greater than 80 feet in width, in which case the building may be up to 55-ft wide. • A maximum 55-ft house width is allowed; 84-ft is requested. This is a variance of 29-ft or a 53% change. • The proposed house depth is 69 feet. • Areas that contribute to the building’s width are a 2-car garage, the dwelling area, and an accessory dwelling attached with a Dog Trot architectural feature. • A Dog Trot is a large, open breezeway that runs through the middle of a house, with two separate living areas on either side. The term is also used to describe the house itself, which is also known as a breezeway, dog-run, or possum-trot home. • The Petitioner has also provided for a 10-ft side yard setback along the west side of the property, to allow for a potential future extension of the Mulberry Lane alley from the south. • The Planning Dept. has no concerns with this variance. The proposed overall site plan does a good job of spacing out the structure along the width of the lot, so it does not appear too crowded in any area. Lot Coverage - • The UDO requires a maximum of 45% lot coverage, and 48% is requested. This is a variance of 3%. • Things that count towards lot coverage are building footprints, swimming pool areas, driveways, etc. • Since the petitioner will exceed the allowed maximum lot coverage, the Carmel Engineering Dept. also requires on-site stormwater detention, OR payment into the Stormwater Fund/Fee. (The Petitioner has opted to pay into the Stormwater Fund/Fee.) 9 of 13 Garage Setback - • The Unified Development Ordinance (UDO Section 3.64.C.4) requires that the front face of the garage must be at least 15-ft further back from the primary front line of the principal building. 0-ft further (or in line with the south house face) is requested. • This property only has one street frontage. • The street ‘dead ends’ just to the west. • The main front façade of the house faces north. • The Petitioner had his architect explore amending the floor plan so that the garage could sit back several feet; however, that change would have caused them to essentially start from scratch. The floor plan has been revised slightly, though, to stay out of the way of the drainage easement that runs along the west side of the site, and to allow for a future potential alley extension from Mulberry Lane to the south. Remaining Review Comments: • All planning/zoning review comments have been addressed. Final Comments: • The Planning Dept. supports the variance request, with the condition of Carmel Engineering Dept. approvals. Findings of Fact: • Please refer to the Petitioner’s Findings of Facts included in their BZA Info Packet. Recommendation: • The Dept. of Community Services (DOCS) recommends positive consideration of the variance requests, with the condition of Engineering Dept. approvals, including Stormwater Fund & cost of sidewalk payments, and with adoption of the Findings of Fact submitted by the Petitioner.