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Developer seeks 7.5-foot setback to meet fire-access rules for seven-unit infill near UNR
Summary
Applicant Taylor Covey asked the Ward 1 Neighborhood Advisory Board to approve a major deviation reducing a required 15-foot front setback to 7.5 feet for a three-story, seven-unit infill project, saying the change is needed to meet aerial fire-access geometry; nearby cemetery representatives asked the board to protect rear access easements.
Taylor Covey, representing Starfield 1 LLC, told the Ward 1 Neighborhood Advisory Board that his firm is proposing a three-story, seven-unit multifamily building on a 0.194-acre triangular parcel in the University Terrace area and requested a major deviation to reduce the front setback from 15 to 7.5 feet so the project can meet aerial fire-access geometry required by the International Fire Code.
"My name is Taylor Covey, and I'm here to present our project," Covey said, describing roughly 11,600 square feet of building area, five garage spaces (one ADA van-accessible), bike storage, a rooftop lounge and a 680-square-foot rooftop deck. He told the board the parcel's irregular, triangular shape forces a layout that would push the building closer to the street so firefighters can deploy ladders safely.
Why it matters: Covey said the setback reduction is not about adding density but about accommodating life-safety standards on a constrained infill lot and enabling a design he argued will be more secure and better maintained than the current underutilized site.
Neighbors raised two consistent concerns. Jay Carter and Don Dalton, both affiliated with Hillside Cemetery, asked whether a dirt road behind the site — which they say is cemetery property and contains an historic prescriptive access easement — would be used for developer access or parking. "We would like to eventually move the fence that is existing and block that section off so that people can drive to their plots," Carter said during public comment. Dalton and others urged the board to preserve the rear access right-of-way to ensure families can continue to reach gravesites.
Covey responded that the project will access University Terrace from the front and that there is a prescriptive roadway easement established by litigation in 1984 that limits development on the rear roadway. He reiterated the requested setback reduction is necessary for the building to meet aerial fire access requirements (IFC Appendix D) and to provide a functional three‑story configuration.
Board members also pressed on parking, security and long‑term maintenance. Covey said the project would include five garage spaces plus on-street parking opportunities and bike storage; rents were estimated at roughly $1,200–$1,500 per room and the applicant said the building would be self-managed with biometric entry and video communications for units. Several members expressed concern about long-term upkeep if ownership changed in the future and asked how construction and ongoing maintenance would be managed.
The board did not take a formal vote on the deviation at this meeting; the item was presented and discussed as part of the project's development review process.
