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,- has no main level family room.) The best way to accomplish these goals is to turn the present two-car garage into family room, and add a three-car garage on the side of the house. To do lhis we are seeking a side setback variance of 24 feet. The house is on what is technically a comer Jot, which has a side setback of 40 feet. However, we will explain below how the property really functions for all intents and purposes as an interior lot, and so we are asking for a variance that would equate to using the 10125 setback of an interior lot (10' min/25' total both sides), We have looked at other ways to achieve these goals, and we explain our other options below, and why we think the best way to do this is Option A. What our needs are The needs of a today's large family are very different than the needs in 1963, when this home was built. We have all had the experience of entertaining family and friends, and having most people end up in the kitchen or the immediately adjacent areas. Thus the advent of the main level family room. We have a large family by today's standards. We need a place large enough for all of us to assemble comfortably, with different action areas. Converting the present garage provides the square footage necessary to do this. We also have a large extended family, and they all visit us! (In rather large groups at the holidays....) We believe a family room on the main floor is essential forthe gatherings that are important to us -- our extended families; neighborhood, church and school groups; and our own large family in day-to-day living. {~ A three-car garage is important for a family of our size. Like most families, we have two vehicles. One is our family minivan, and the other is Mark's full size work van, full of tools, A third stall will have yard equipment, bikes and toys, and before long we will add more drivers to the city streets, When our children start driving, we will need a third car, and there will be a number of years when we have at least 5 drivers in the household! The additional space of a third stall is also needed for some of Mark's tools and supplies, as he works alone and does not have remote shop space. Even if one were to argue that a two-car garage would be sufficient, the variance needed would be almost the same size, since the depth, and not the width, ofthe garage is what requires the variance. Whv we believe the variance is reasonable Our lot has some unique characteristics. First, consider the building envelope, the area defined by setbacks in which you can build without a variance. Please see the map on page 13, which shows the building envelopes of the properties in the area. We have . taken an aerial view of the neighborhood, enlarged it, laid out to scale the setbacks for each lot, and colored in ! . the resulting building envelopes. As you can see from the map, our property, 1301 Cannon, has the smallest '" building envelope in the area. (The only other property with a building envelope even close to this size is the 3