Narrative

Dear Board of Adjustments Officer, 
 
 
 
The purpose of this letter is to provide a narrative description for the attached variance proposal. The applicant respectfully 
requests your consideration and acceptance to reduce the required perimeter setback for the residential lot located at 6745 
N. 53rd Dr. The request is necessary to allow for a modest home addition as demonstrated in the attached diagram. 
 
The subject property is a 6,044 sq. ft lot (50’ wide x 120’ deep) that is zoned R-3. The existing house was constructed in 1955 
and is 660 square feet in size. The applicant would like to remodel the house and add 1,347 sq. ft of living area. The width 
of the lot being only 50 feet creates an unreasonable burden for an expansion to the property due to the 20-foot perimeter 
setback requirement of the R-3 zoning district. As the exhibit shows, the existing house was constructed with a 6’ street side 
setback. 
 
Although the lot is zoned R-3 for multi-family, the lot size is less than the required 9,000 sq. ft. to allow for any multi-family 
style development. This restricts the lot to a single-family use. The City’s zoning ordinance does permit for a 10’ street side 
setback for single family lots, which is what the applicant has proposed. The attached diagram demonstrates that the 
applicant will meet all lot coverage and setback requirements except for the street side perimeter setback which will be at 
10’ for the new addition. Thus, the applicant is seeking relief from the perimeter setback requirements of Table 2 (R-3 
District) of section 5.449 of the City’s zoning ordinance. 
 
The proposal will maintain the integrity of the residential streetscapes on both 53rd Dr. and Lamar St. Granting of a variance 
will not adversely impact any of the properties to the south, west, or east which are all similarly zoned and configured R-3 
lots, nor the properties to the north which are zoned M-1 (Light Industrial). 
 
The following 4 conditions exist on the property as justification for granting of the requested variance: 
 
1. The special circumstances applying to the subject parcel are that it is an R-3 corner lot only 50’ in width that was 
legally approved as part of a subdivision in 1954.These special circumstances were not created by the owner.  
 
2. Due to the special circumstances, the strict application of the Zoning Ordinance would deprive the property of 
privileges enjoyed by other properties in the same classification in the same zoning district. 
 
3. The variance is the minimum necessary to alleviate the property hardship. Although the existing house has a 6’ 
street side setback, the addition will maintain a 10’ street side setback. 
 
4. The authorization of a variance will not be materially detrimental to the property, to persons residing or working 
in the vicinity, to the adjacent property, to the neighborhood, or to the public welfare in general. The applicant is 
meeting all other setbacks, visibility, and access requirements, and will obtain any applicable building permits for 
future construction. 
 
I would be happy to answer any questions or hear any concerns that you may have regarding this proposal. You may reach 
me at 602-717-6930.  
 
Thank you for your time and consideration. 
 
 
 
Sincerely,    
 
9/15/2020