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Board approves rear‑setback variance for deck and covered porch at West San Pedro house
Summary
The Variance Review Board approved a permit to extend an elevated deck and add a covered, non‑enclosed porch at 3705 W. San Pedro St., reducing the rear setback from 20 feet to 7 feet after the owner said the existing deck was already in violation and the extension would create a usable family area.
The City of Tampa Variance Review Board on Feb. 11 granted a rear‑setback variance allowing an expansion and covered, unenclosed porch at 3705 West San Pedro Street, reducing the rear-yard setback from 20 feet to 7 feet.
Owner Brent Liebler and his representative told the board they purchased the house with an existing rear deck that already encroached into the setback and that the proposed project primarily reorganizes and modestly increases the deck area to create a safe, functional outdoor dining and play area for the family’s two young children. Liebler said the requested new deck would be roughly 18 feet deep by 21.5 feet wide and that the work would remove a curving, underused portion of the current deck; the net increase in overall deck square footage would be modest — roughly 60–65 square feet more than what exists today.
Board members questioned whether the applicant had demonstrated the legal hardship required for a variance. Liebler said the house has a single elevated rear door that requires an elevated platform and that site constraints — including a pool and the house footprint — limit feasible alternatives. Staff confirmed there are no protected trees affected by the proposed foundation and that utilities/easement locations behind the site would be respected during permitting.
During deliberations, board members emphasized that the approval should be conditioned to keep the covered porch unenclosed and not air‑conditioned. A motion to grant the variance carried; the motion as recorded included the condition that the exterior covered porch area be permitted and remain unenclosed and not air conditioned.
The board’s approval recognizes the applicant’s claim of practical difficulty tied to the existing nonconforming deck, the house configuration and the need for a functional family outdoor area. The applicant must obtain building permits and comply with all department reviews and TECO comments before construction.
