Applicant seeks guidance to build duplex at 2405 North 3800 West

Applicants representing a proposed duplex at 2405 North 3800 West presented a conceptual site plan and asked whether the lot would meet city zoning and setback requirements. The applicants said the parcel is "just under 0.5 an acre, 0.48 of an acre," and noted a planned easement that could become a road. The Chair and planning staff explained how that future road would make the parcel a corner lot and trigger 30-foot setbacks on the new frontage.

Planning staff explained density and two-family rules for R1/R2 zoning and noted that a duplex can be treated as a single building with two families if the lot and building meet code. Staff described minimum lot-area calculations and told the applicants that, while the concept appears workable, the city cannot grant formal approval without stamped, to-scale engineered drawings showing property lines, utilities and the orientation of buildings. "I don't think that it's gonna be a problem based on what you've shown me so far," planning staff said, while cautioning that the county and city both review permits and that the county typically requires the signed, scaled plans for its building permit review.

The meeting also flagged an outdated code provision the staff wants removed from the text: a line stating two-family units must be "no closer than 5 blocks to another two-family residential units." Staff and members agreed the provision is obsolete and should not be enforced. Staff directed the applicants to obtain engineered drawings and confirm utility capacity before proceeding with a formal submittal to the city and county.