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Board approves small side‑yard setback reduction to allow screened porch on historic West Lakes house
Summary
The Variance Review Board granted a side‑yard setback reduction from 7 feet to 5 feet to allow a screened porch at 3414 W. Lakes Ave., finding the request aligns with existing building lines on a 102‑year‑old house and does not materially affect neighbors.
The Variance Review Board on Feb. 11 approved a variance reducing the east side yard setback from 7 feet to 5 feet for construction of a one‑story screened porch at 3414 W. Lakes Ave.
The applicant’s agent told the board the house was built in 1923, the property is constrained by an existing pool to the south, and the proposed porch simply fills a narrow, preexisting “cutout” in the building footprint so that the porch will be flush with the existing east side building line. The agent said the adjoining lot to the east is vacant and that a masonry wall already provides screening along most of the eastern boundary.
Staff advised the board the proposed porch would not affect protected trees and found the request consistent with conditions. The agent cited comprehensive-plan policy supporting repetition of existing building lines in older neighborhoods.
Board members voted to approve the 2‑foot reduction, concluding the request is a modest infill that preserves the house’s historic relationship to the lot and is unlikely to adversely affect immediate neighbors. The approval is subject to standard permitting and code checks at the permit stage.
