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The proposed design satisfies the three requirements of the variance procedure that we were told apply to our situation: • The proposed deck is a reasonable use of the land, as it is required to access our front door (which is 52” above grade), and it is replacing a substantially similar structure that is original to the house. Expanding the deck around the door and maintaining the “bridge” that extends from the front door towards the street will also improve access for emergency responders, creating more room to maneuver around the front entry and preserving straight line entry to that area. • The front door elevation 52” above grade creates a unique circumstance that was not of our creation and requires some sort of structure to reach the front door. The grade and existing deck are original to the house. Therefore, this unique condition existed well before we owned the house. While the front door is slightly above street grade, the general slope of the yard is downward away from the street, with the rear property line approximately 7 feet below street grade. Additionally, there are two large trees that are much older than the house, whose bases are at a similar level to the grade below the front door, indicating that this grade likely existed prior to the house being built. • The proposed deck will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood. It is substantially similar the current deck that is original to the house. Our house was built in 1963, in the same time period as others on our street, so its original design is inherently part of the character of the neighborhood. Currently, 7 of 16 houses on our block of Venus avenue have front yard seating areas, 4 of which are decks. There are many more on the remainder of Venus Avenue and throughout the rest of larger neighborhood. Additionally, when we moved into the house, we learned that many neighbors referred to our house fondly as “the bridge house”. I have added three renderings of the proposed design below for your reference. I have also added two photos of our house illustrating the “bridge”, “courtyard”, and the height of the deck relative to the street level (Note: In the photos, most of our previously existing plantings have been removed.). The post for the bird feeder indicates approximately where the corner of the proposed deck would be. Finally, I have attached the plan that we had discussed earlier to the email as well, for your reference. We thank you for your consideration of this variance proposal and look forward to hearing from you. Please let us know if you have any questions. We can be contacted via email or by phone at 608-770-9455. Sincerely, Will Tourdot and Jennifer Granick.