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Board denies Donna Lane setback reduction after debate over lot feasibility and drainage
Summary
The board voted 6–3 to deny Edward Yates’s request to reduce front and corner-side setbacks at 2872 Donna Lane, with board members citing incompatibility with neighborhood character, construction and drainage concerns, and the applicant’s speculative purchase of the lot.
The Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request to reduce the front setback from 25 feet to 6 feet and the corner-side setback from 15 feet to 6 feet at 2872 Donna Lane (BZA 26-42). Staff summarized the lot’s triangular shape, steep topography (greater than 25% in places), a nearby power-line easement, and three emailed public comments raising concerns about runoff and traffic safety. The applicant, Edward Yates, said he purchased the lot at a tax sale and that without the variance he could only build a roughly 17-by-17-foot structure; he told the board he had taken steps to consult utility and sewer staff and planned engineered drainage improvements.
A neighbor, Jane Webb of 3201 Mission Terrace, told the board she lives across the street and said Donna Lane’s one-lane configuration, steep grade and existing drainage issues made construction and future residence potentially hazardous. During deliberations, some board members argued the proposal could improve drainage and neighborhood conditions, while others called the purchase speculative and said the lot’s limitations weighed against granting a permanent reduction. Mister Moore moved to deny the variance for incompatibility with neighboring uses and potential long-term adverse impacts; the motion carried 6–3.
