Idaho Falls board approves rear-setback variance for Merrill home to improve accessibility

The Idaho Falls Board of Adjustment on Sept. 23 approved a variance to reduce the rear-yard setback at 1958 Redwood Drive so the homeowners can expand a kitchen entry and add an accessible bathroom to accommodate a resident's mobility device.

The applicant, Deborah Merrill, told the board her household includes three disabled adults and that the home’s existing kitchen entry is 28 inches while her husband's mobility device is 32 inches wide. “Without modification, he cannot access the kitchen,” Merrill said, adding the family intends the house to be “our forever home.”

A city planner summarized the staff report, saying the property is in an R-1 zone where the standard front and rear setbacks are 25 feet, the side-yard setback is 6 feet and lot coverage is limited to 40 percent. The existing lot is 11,659 square feet. The proposed addition would extend approximately 11 feet into the rear setback, reducing the closest point to about 14 feet; staff estimated the addition would add roughly 708 square feet and increase the house to about 3,003 square feet, and concluded lot coverage would not be exceeded. The planner also noted the house is a legal nonconforming structure and that staff did not make a recommendation to approve or deny the variance. “I did not recommend to approve or deny it,” the planner said during the presentation.

Merrill and her contractor, Chuck Mickelson of Next Construction, described alternatives considered and constraints inside the existing structure. Mickelson said the team “looked at a dozen different ways to try to get him access to the home” and that interior stairs and basement layout limited options; he said they plan to add a basement window as part of the approach for accessibility and fire egress.

Fire department access was discussed in the staff report. The planner said residential firefighting could be accomplished from the adjacent public streets and that a reduced rear setback would not prevent fire response. Board members asked whether approval would set a precedent; one member emphasized the need to limit any approval as narrowly tied to the applicant’s ADA-related circumstances so it would not become a general precedent. Another member cited neighborhood examples of reduced setbacks and said the requested change appeared modest relative to surrounding properties.

A motion to approve the application “and to allow for the setback as recommended by city staff” was made and seconded. The board approved the variance by voice vote; aye votes were recorded and no opposing votes were spoken on the record. The board asked staff to prepare written findings reflecting the conditions discussed; staff said it would draft and distribute the findings before the next meeting.

The Board of Adjustment’s written decision will be returned to the board for review next month.