Board approves aesthetic review and grants small parking-area variance for 1896 West First Avenue

The Grandview Heights Planning & Zoning Board on June 11 approved aesthetic review for a new rear addition at 1896 West First Avenue and granted a variance increasing the permitted area of the rear yard used for driveway and parking from 45 percent to 49.7 percent as calculated on the plan submitted to the board.

The board heard from Brenda Parker, the project architect, who described a rear addition designed to remain subordinate to the original historic home. Parker said the addition’s roof pitch is lower than the main roof and that the proposed materials would be compatible with the existing house. She and the applicant emphasized that much of the work is at the rear and not highly visible from the street.

Planning staff reported that the project’s rear yard measures approximately 3,572.7 square feet and that including the garage and driveway areas as shown on the site plan results in a rear‑yard parking calculation of about 49.7 percent — roughly a 50‑square‑foot overage driven by the small lot size. Staff noted the property’s shared driveway limits options for reducing paved area and characterized the issue as largely site‑specific.

The architect requested that the board consider only the paved area used for parking when applying the 45 percent rule, arguing that parts of the garage are not usable for parking and that pervious pavers were used to minimize new impervious surface. Staff responded that the city calculates the area attributed to parking from the property line and that required parking dimensions (typically up to 20 feet wide by 20 feet deep for two required spots) can be accounted for when determining what is counted as required versus excess paving.

Board members praised aspects of the proposed design. One member said the addition “is secondary to the main house” and noted it was similar to other nearby homes where rear additions have been accepted. Another member asked staff to verify the revised calculations and the board clarified that if the applicant’s new site plan reduced the parking area below 45 percent the variance would not be necessary.

A motion to approve the aesthetic review as submitted passed. The board then approved the variance to increase the rear yard area used for driveway and parking to 49.7 percent as shown on the original plan. Recorded votes included affirmations from board members who announced their votes during the roll call; the board instructed staff to verify final plan calculations and finalize permit paperwork.