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Board upholds rear‑yard variance and house lift at 3732–3734 Twentieth; neighbors warned shadow/privacy effects
Summary
Over neighbors’ objections about leaning walls, sunlight loss and risk during lifting, the Board of Appeals upheld a zoning‑administrator rear‑yard variance and allowed a 2.5‑foot raise and decks, voting 4–1 after hearing engineering assurances and DBI inspection reports.
The Board of Appeals on Tuesday upheld the zoning administrator’s grant of a rear‑yard variance and approved plans to raise a building 2.5 feet at 3732–3734 Twentieth Street, despite opposition from an immediate neighbor who said the subject building leans against her property and that lifting would reduce sunlight and privacy.
Appellant Andrea (Yvette) Huguenie documented what she described as leaning and reported repeated water infiltration in the adjacent property; she submitted a shadow analysis alleging an 18–25% loss of sunlight to her north‑facing rear yard. “If that wall is pushed up 2 and a half feet, it will drive it into my building,” she said.
Owner and contractor representatives described completed structural upgrades, underpinning and monitoring plans and said earlier concerns had been addressed by on‑site inspection. Contractor John Pollard said the lift will be done slowly with synchronized hydraulic jacks and monitoring on adjacent floors; the owner’s team also offered insurance coverage and contract commitments to fix any damage.
After briefing and questions about winter shadows and structural monitoring, the Board voted 4–1 to uphold the variance and adopt the zoning administrator’s findings. Commissioners imposed the conditions recorded in the ZA decision, and the owner must comply with DBI standards and any required inspections.
