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Board of Adjustment unanimously approves 3-foot driveway-height variance for Alexander Avenue property
Summary
The Board of Adjustment approved a 3-foot height variance Nov. 16 allowing driveway regrading within a yard setback at a 1.1-acre AR-2 lot after the applicant cited steep topography and winter safety concerns; staff and the HOA supported the request and no members of the public spoke.
The Board of Adjustment voted unanimously Nov. 16 to grant a 3-foot height variance for driveway regrading at a 1.1-acre lot accessed from Alexander Avenue, approving the applicant’s request to alter grades inside a yard setback to reduce a steep, winter-safety hazard.
The variance, requested by applicant Galen Means, allows a departure from the AR-2 Zone District standard that permits a maximum height of 6 feet in the affected yard setback; staff recommended approval and the property’s homeowners association submitted a letter of support. "It's treacherous in the winter," Means told the board, describing the existing driveway as exceeding a 10% slope in several places.
Board members said the parcel’s steep topography and the need to achieve safe driveway grades satisfied the practical-difficulty criteria for a variance. A board member moved to approve the variance citing “topographic hardship for steep slopes coming off the roadway,” and another member seconded; the motion passed with unanimous approval.
Means described the lot as roughly triangular, with access from Alexander Avenue where the road was graded above the natural ground adjacent to the property. He told the board the proposal would shift the driveway slightly to the south and extend its length to reduce slope, creating a tapered slope rather than a retaining wall. Means estimated the scope of the alteration at roughly "8 to 9 feet," calling nine feet a conservative estimate.
The applicant said the existing home is about 1,500 to 1,600 square feet and that the project includes plans for a garage and an additional bedroom; he noted an exemption letter from the planning office for those additions. Means also said he had a preliminary verbal clearance from Brooke at the Basalt and Rural Fire District regarding fire access constraints, and that the fire district would complete a formal review during the building-permit process.
Staff noted there were no public commenters online and that the homeowners association had signed off. The board’s approval allows the applicant to proceed to building-permit review and further agency checks required for construction and fire access.
Details recorded at the hearing: staff support for the variance, HOA letter of support, no online public comments, and the board’s unanimous vote to approve the variance.
