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Board holds application for third-floor addition in Hyattsville pending city review
Summary
The Board of Appeals held open a petition by Sarah Lee and Giovanni Champaglia for variances related to lot width, side-street yard and accessory structure at 41100 Hamilton Street to allow a third-floor addition; the board requested input from the City of Hyattsville.
The Prince George's County Board of Appeals on Jan. 29 held open a petition from homeowners Sarah Christine Lee and Giovanni Luca Champaglia seeking variances to validate existing nonconformities and permit a third-floor addition at 41100 Hamilton Street in Hyattsville.
The petitioners said the addition would convert underused roof space into habitable area to accommodate an expanding family; the applicants said the work would add an additional bedroom, a bathroom and an office without increasing lot coverage or moving the building footprint. Architect Thomas Almond described plans to modify a pyramidal roof into a gable form with dormers and said the work would keep the house within height limits while technically creating a three-story house under county rules.
The petition seeks variances for 2.47 feet of lot width, an 8-foot side-street yard width deficiency, and a waiver related to an accessory building location to validate existing conditions and allow the proposed 24.4-by-26-foot third-floor addition (the hearing record contained a correction to the advertised dimension). Attorney/representative Tom Auman said the house was built in 1924 under different regulations and that the building’s historic placement creates the present nonconformities.
Neighbors and the petitioners submitted five letters of support, the petitioner said; the board also heard neighborhood questions about topography and whether the lot lies within the incorporated area of Hyattsville. After reviewing mapping on the record, the board administrator confirmed the property is within the City of Hyattsville’s municipal boundary. Vice Chair Johnston moved and Member Stanton seconded a motion to hold the case open until the City of Hyattsville provides an evaluation. The motion carried 3-0.
The board directed the petitioners to work with board staff to present the materials to the City of Hyattsville. No final decision on the variance criteria was made; the case remains open pending municipal comment.
