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Carefree DRB approves fill waiver for guest house at 36449 North Sidewinder Road with 6-inch allowance
Summary
The Carefree Development Review Board approved a fill-waiver request to allow additional fill beneath a detached guest house at 36449 North Sidewinder Road; the board amended the approval to include a six-inch allowance for the finished floor and imposed conditions to ensure height and grading compliance at building permit.
The Carefree Development Review Board on Dec. 5 approved a fill-waiver request allowing more fill beneath a building pad than cut to accommodate a detached guest house (casita) at 36449 North Sidewinder Road in the original Carefree subdivision.
Stacy, a town staff member, told the board the applicant — architect Tyler Green — asked for the waiver so the casita could be level with the existing garage. The request would let the finished floor be raised slightly to eliminate steps, a change the architect said is needed “so their elderly parents can use the casita” without stairs, according to Tyler Green, the project architect.
The waiver was filed under the town’s zoning ordinance authority for the Development Review Board. Stacy summarized site features, saying the lot is steep and the proposed accessory structure would remain within the town’s height limits for accessory buildings (16 feet plus a 5-foot allowance commonly used for a stem wall). A single neighbor replied during the citizen-participation process with concerns about views; Stacy said the neighbor’s finished floor sits considerably higher than the proposed structure and the project will not change that neighbor’s current views.
Board members pressed on finished-floor elevations and the ordinance’s cut-and-fill requirement. Board member Hardie asked whether a 1-foot difference between the casita and garage would create steps for elderly residents; Tyler Green said he could reduce the gap to about six inches. Stacy and staff reiterated that the zoning ordinance’s 50/50 cut-and-fill guideline governs how fill under pads is handled and that final cut/fill calculations would be reconciled at the building-permit stage.
Chairman Burns called for a motion to approve case 2302FW. The board moved, amended the motion to include an additional six-inch allowance to accommodate the applicant’s revised elevation, and approved the application by voice vote. The approval included the conditions listed in the staff report; final grading and height will be verified during building-permit review to ensure the project does not exceed allowable heights.
Next steps: the applicant will proceed to building-permit review, where staff will verify final cut-and-fill calculations, finished-floor elevations and that the structure’s height remains within the ordinance limits.
