Commission approves driveway extension and carport at 1714 Huntley but denies front gate placement without changes

The Landmark Commission on May 5 approved a driveway extension and rear carport at 1714 Huntley Street in the Junius Heights Historic District, but declined to approve the proposed location and type of a front‑yard swing gate as submitted. Staff recommended approval of the driveway and carport and denial without prejudice of the proposed fence/gate because the record did not demonstrate a sufficient safety need to justify locating an opaque gate at the more forward position.

Owner and applicant Casey Tripp explained the project’s practical constraints: the driveway is functionally a single, shared strip used by both properties, and the applicant said relocating a gate to comply with the typical rear‑setback standard would leave a neighbor’s yard exposed because the adjacent fencing was in poor condition. The applicant’s contractor, Bryce Bartlett, confirmed the proposed gate repeated the existing footprint rather than moving it forward.

After discussion, including a proposal to permit a See‑through metal gate in the current footprint as a compromise, the commission approved the driveway extension and carport per staff recommendation and approved a front gate only if it is set behind the house’s front midpoint (roughly the location of the neighbor’s front gable and front windows) or, alternately, if the applicant installs an open, see‑through metal gate at…