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Board of Appeals approves variance for ADU at 2910 Felipe Parkway
Summary
The City of Safety Harbor Board of Appeals on March 12 approved variance case 2024-42VAR to allow a two-story detached accessory dwelling unit with a garage in the front yard at 2910 Felipe Parkway, citing lot depth, a preservation buffer in the rear yard and existing driveway access.
SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. — The City of Safety Harbor Board of Appeals on Wednesday approved a variance allowing a two-story detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) with a ground-floor garage at 2910 Felipe Parkway, concluding variance case 2024-42VAR.
City staff told the board the lot’s unusual shape and site constraints — about 60 feet wide and roughly 340 feet deep, with a significant preservation-designated area at the rear and a preservation buffer that limits development within 25 feet of that area — leave the front yard as the only viable location for an accessory structure. Cecilia, a city staff member presenting the application, said the existing long driveway provides sufficient access for the proposed ADU even though the property lacks improved alley access the code typically requires.
The variance request sought relief from Safety Harbor’s comprehensive zoning and land development code provision (section 36.01(b)) that generally requires detached ADUs outside certain districts to be on corner lots or lots with improved alley access, and from the provision that prevents accessory structures from being located forward of the primary structure. Staff reviewed the application against the city’s variance criteria and recommended approval, concluding the request arose from physical site conditions (lot depth and an undevelopable preservation area), would not confer an unfair special privilege, and represented the minimum relief necessary to allow the applicant a reasonable use of the property.
Applicant Gerald Algarin spoke to the board. Algarin said he and his spouse have lived in the area for decades and are seeking to downsize; he described the upstairs ADU use as a craft room for his wife, who quilts, and said the ground floor garage was important to him. Algarin provided his address for the record as stated at the hearing.
After brief board discussion in which members indicated they were satisfied that the staff analysis met the variance criteria, a motion to approve variance 2024-42VAR carried by voice vote. The board did not provide a roll-call vote tally in the meeting record; staff noted required public notices had been issued and no ex parte communications were reported.
In addition to the variance action, staff member Steph updated the board on a recent land development code workshop conducted with the City Commission on Feb. 24. Steph said the commission gave consensus to move most proposed amendments forward but asked staff to look further at alley improvements and several temporary accessory uses; temporary signage was not moved forward for additional review at the commission’s request.
The Board of Appeals adjourned at 6:43 p.m.
