Planning commission approves setback variance for narrow lot at 502 North Washington

The El Dorado Planning Commission approved a variance to allow reduced setbacks at 502 North Washington so an owner can build a 16-by-46 single-family home with an attached 12-by-46 carport.

The commission opened the public hearing after staff summarized the request and the statutory factors that justify a variance. Applicant Danica Dixon said the lot is “very unusually small” and that, without relief, zoning would leave an impractical 27-by-29 building envelope. “If we can't find some kind of a solution here because of the size of my lot, the zoning regulations essentially make it unbuildable and unusable,” Dixon told the commission.

Staff told commissioners the district’s standard setbacks are 15 feet front, 5 feet side and 25 feet rear, and that the request would reduce those to 10 feet front, 4.5 feet side and 13 feet rear. Dixon explained she had negotiated a private sewer access agreement with a neighbor to reach the city sewer and said the rear of the lot includes an effectively unbuildable 9-foot strip that functions like an informal easement.

Commissioners asked for clarification on whether the sewer access agreement was recorded; staff said a building permit would require documentation that the access was filed on the deed. After discussion about the lot’s uniqueness and the compatibility of the proposal with nearby homes, a commissioner moved to approve the variance “subject to the conditions listed in the staff report and for the reasons listed in the staff report and heard at the public hearing.” The motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote with all present voting yes.

The approval allows the applicant to proceed toward permitting but staff said the applicant must provide the recorded ingress/egress agreement for sewer access before a building permit will be issued. The staff report and motion tie the approval to the conditions discussed during the hearing.