Dallas Board of Adjustment approves front-yard variance and visibility exception for Holland Avenue duplex

The Dallas Board of Adjustment Panel C on July 14 approved a 10-foot variance to the front-yard setback and a special exception to the 20-foot visibility-obstruction triangle for a proposed duplex at Holland Avenue and Prescott Avenue, voting 5-0 on each motion.

The applicant’s representative, Kendra Abchee, told the board the site is a small, corner lot with “double frontage, and it's a very small lot size,” and that complying with both 15-foot front setbacks on Prescott and Collin avenues would reduce the buildable area to about 41% of the lot. “It will be limited to 41%, which is well below the 60% of lot coverage allowed in the zone,” Abchee said, and she said the requested variance would allow a proposed lot coverage of about 54.9%.

At the public hearing Abchee said the request stems from the property’s “unique property constraints” and is not self-imposed. She presented a site plan and elevations showing a two‑unit duplex (two three‑bedroom units), each served by an on‑site two-car garage, with two parking spaces per unit. Abchee said the design treats Prescott Avenue as a side yard like nearby properties, that landscaping and required street trees will be provided, and that the exhibit had mistakenly shown a fence that will not be built.

Neighbors who wrote opposition raised traffic-safety and height concerns, Abchee said; she and the project team told neighbors at a June 10 neighborhood meeting (attended by six neighbors) that the application requests setback relief rather than a height variance and that the proposed building elevations are consistent in scale with other three‑story homes at nearby corners.

On the visibility-triangle request, the applicant said the encroachment is limited to approximately 3 feet where the building corner intrudes into the triangle at the driveway approach. Abchee said the city traffic engineer reviewed the proposal and raised no objection. Board members discussed the location of the driveway (a 20‑foot wide approach) and noted a nearby four‑way stop that slows traffic. One member suggested the applicant consider a mirror at the driveway to reduce any sight‑line issues.

Board members said the application met the standards for a variance and for the special exception, citing the property’s constrained lot area and the limited size of the visibility‑triangle encroachment. Both motions passed 5-0 with the condition that the project comply with the most recent version of all submitted plans. The board’s actions were made under the Dallas Development Code and its setback and visibility-obstruction regulations; the board recorded its findings that strict enforcement would result in unnecessary hardship on this lot.

Votes at a glance - Minutes (June 16, 2025): Approved (motion by Rodney Milliken; second by Dr. Emmanuel Glover). Voice vote noted; board later used roll call for subsequent items. - Uncontested docket (consent items listed on the published docket): Granted (motion by Rodney Milliken; second by Meredith Griffin). Items on the uncontested docket included applications described in the staff docket as: Brandon Elias (variance to side-yard and rear-yard setbacks and lot-coverage relief; condition: deed restriction to prevent use of additional dwelling unit as rental accommodations; compliance with submitted plans required), Burchard Humphrey (variance to front-yard setback; compliance with submitted plans required), and Juniper Kurimoto (special exception to fence-height regulations; compliance with submitted plans required). The board voted 5-0 on the consent docket.

What the board approved for the Holland Avenue site - A 10-foot variance to the front-yard setback along Prescott Avenue allowing the developer to achieve a higher buildable area and a proposed lot coverage of about 54.9% rather than the approximate 41% buildable area that would result under strict enforcement. - A special exception to allow a limited building encroachment (about 3 feet) into the 20-foot visibility triangle at the Prescott driveway approach; the board found the encroachment would not constitute a traffic hazard based on the site plan, the driveway configuration, and the traffic-engineer comment. - Conditions: compliance with the most recent version of all submitted plans.

Why it matters The decisions permit a two‑unit attached home to be built closer to the street than code normally allows on a small corner lot, which the applicant and the board said will allow a more articulated, neighborhood‑compatible facade than a more constrained structure. Opponents raised traffic and privacy concerns; the board concluded those concerns were addressed by the limited size of the encroachment, the driveway layout, nearby traffic controls, and the city traffic engineer’s lack of objection.

The board adjourned at about 1:35 p.m. and scheduled its next meeting for Aug. 18, 2025.