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The proposed design satisfies the three requirements of the variance procedure that apply to our situation: • The proposal is a reasonable use of the land o It is required to access our front door(which is 52" above grade) (Figures 3, 4, 5), and it is replacing a substantially similar structure that is original to the house. o 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. o Should emergency access be required from the driveway, the proposed deck would allow complete rotation of a standard 7'x 2' ambulatory gurney with approximately 1" clearance per side (Figure 8). o The proposal allows for a seating/gathering space near the front door while maintaining enough space for a walkway. o This proposal will be an enhancement to the neighborhood by replacing an old blocky structure with one with a cleaner more modern aesthetic. o PC 02-002 Variance Request for 3159 Shorewood Drive was previously approved by the City Council to allow a 33' setback for a front yard deck when replacing an existing smaller deck which was failing due to old age. At the time a 37 foot setback was required. This deck was on a second story, which is much more conspicuous than our proposal which is only slightly above street level. The Shorewood Dr. deck was also only required to function as a seating area, not as primary access to the front door of the house, as is the case with our request. • The proposal is due to circumstances unique to the property not created by the landowner. o Our house was built on land that was originally below the current street grade with the back yard once a pond (Figure 3, 4, 5). o 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. o The grade and existing deck are original to the house. o Therefore, this unique condition existed well before we owned the house. o While the front door is slightly above street grade (Figure 5), the general slope of the yard is downward away from the street, with the rear property line approximately 7 feet below street grade. o 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 existed prior to the house being built. • The proposal will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood. o 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. o 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. o Additionally, when we moved into the house, we learned that many neighbors referred to our house fondly as "the bridge house". o This deck will allow us to expand on the friendly character of our neighborhood by creating a front yard space for neighbors to gather. o We were told that the city received 3 letters regarding our initial proposal. They were all positive and in support of granting the variance. We have also received exclusively positive verbal comments from neighbors regarding our project both before and after the May City Council meeting.