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Board approves side‑setback and square‑footage variances for garage additions on West 83rd Terrace
Summary
Contractor Kent said the homeowners needed more in‑garage parking because street parking is limited by a median and a nearby fire hydrant; the board approved side‑setback relief and a separate variance allowing the home to exceed the lot’s maximum square footage (one motion passed 4–2).
The BZA approved a side‑setback variance and a square‑footage variance for a property on West 83rd Terrace to allow a garage addition and additional enclosed storage. Contractor Kent (Hodges Garage) said street parking is constrained by a median and a fire hydrant near the intersection, leaving only a single legal on‑street spot close to the house; the owners asked for additional covered parking to keep vehicles off the street.
Staff said the proposed addition would require a 5‑foot side‑setback variance and that the square‑footage application would push the home to 4,683 sq ft where the lot max is 3,777—906 sq ft over the limit (about 24%), which requires a variance rather than an exception. Board members debated whether the enlargement was an undue expansion of a legal nonconforming structure; supporters emphasized safety for young drivers and neighbors; opponents flagged neighborhood scale and precedent. The board ultimately approved both requests; the large square‑footage motion passed with recorded opposition on several votes (the transcript records a 4–2 outcome on the square‑footage motion).
