Councilman granted variance for Irving Park home
This afternoon, the Greensboro Board of Adjustment granted 3rd District Councilman Robbie Perkins' request for a variance so he could build his new Irving Park home 7 feet closer to a side street than is required by normal city regs.
For a quick civics 101 lesson on the BOA, it's an appointed board that residents can go to if they want a special exception made for their property when it comes to the rules that everyone is bound to about not building your house too close to property lines, streets, etc. (More info on variances here)
In Perkins' case, he and his wife want to build a two-story, 2800-odd square foot Dutch Colonial home at the corner of St. Andrews Road and Wentworth Drive. The side of the home would lie 33 feet from the centerline of Wentworth Drive, but the city's current rules require homes to be 40 feet from the centerline of a side street. The Perkins' architect said the house needed to be that wide to fit in with the surrounding homes and to accomodate a first-floor master bedroom, something most vintage Irving Park homes don't have.
Here's the rub: Should the city apply modern setback rules in a historic neighborhood for a modern home designed to look historic? When John Nolen and Earle Draper designed Irving Park, they built narrower roads and put the homes closer to the street. But if the same land was developed now, they'd probably build wider streets and put in more space between the homes.
In order to grant a variance, the board has to find that "no reasonable use" can be made of the property without the variance. Board member Sandra Anderson, while voting for the variance, pointed out that the Perkins could just build a house that was 7 feet shorter. She noted that in the case right before Perkins', the board voted 4-1 not to allow a homeowner to add on a carport to their house because it extended 3 feet into the setback from the sidestreet.
In the end, four members decided that Perkins should get his variance, while one member opposed.
By the way, Perkins' announced he won't run for re-election this fall, but the new home is still in District 3.
Comments (2)
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Matt,
You failed to mention that the house met the required 15' setback from edge of street. The side street, Wentworth, is only 17.5' wide. The Ordinance assumes much wider City streets(average width 36'), in which case the 15' standard from curb would be more restrictive.
Posted on June 29, 2005 11:06 PM
Yes, I neglected to mention that it does meet one part of the two-pronged test: It is 15 feet from the edge of the street but not 40 from the centerline. Would you say that points to the potential conflicts in enforcing a modern setback requirement for a historic neighborhood?
If the street were the normal width, then if you were 15 feet from the edge, you were probably 40 from the centerline. But then again, if the street were wider, your lot would probably be that much smaller.
I gather this is something that is probably being looked at in the new infill development regulations?
Posted on June 30, 2005 9:10 AM