Owners seek grandfathering for downtown Fairbanks house; staff recommends denying some additions

At the Aug. 21 administrative hearing the borough considered GR2026‑010, an application by Simon and Christina Huff asking the borough to recognize legal nonconforming status for a single‑family residence in the Fairbanks town site. The owners seek grandfathering for multiple setbacks: a south/front yard of 0 feet (required 20 feet), east and west side yards of 0 feet (required 5 feet), and a north/rear yard of 0 feet (required 5 feet) in the TF zoning district.

Staff member Ms. McElroy presented the property’s development history. She said the original house—estimated built in 1951—was conforming under earlier zoning standards. Later additions changed the building footprint: a 1970s east addition and a 1988 carport/deck were identified as the changes that created nonconformity. A 1992 planning‑commission variance (053‑92) approved reductions for the west side and rear setbacks for a specific addition, meaning those two setbacks appear conforming today. However, staff told the hearing that the east addition and the front deck/carport lack evidence of legal nonconforming status and that the front‑yard encroachment occurred without the required permits; staff therefore recommended those features not be granted grandfather status.

Simon Huff testified that the property changed hands multiple times over five decades and that the current owners were not aware of these issues at purchase in 2020. He said the financial burden of complying with staff recommendations — which staff suggested could include removing parts of the house or buying adjacent lots — would be prohibitive and argued the borough has historically tolerated these irregularities.

Because grandfather‑rights determinations are made after the hearing, the borough will mail a written decision to the applicants within 15 days; the applicants may appeal the determination by filing the required appeal application with the borough clerk.