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. . . 3. The neighborhood in which the house is situated has been undergoing a rapid transformation in the last ten or so years. Existing houses are being torn down and new houses are being constructed. Three new houses have been constructed on Siems Court and Arden Place within the last 3 years. Remodeling of neighborhood houses is virtually constant with major additions being added. Clearly the maintenance of the City's tax base and the changing character of the neighborhood place the proposed variance within the spirit and intent of the City's Zoning Code. 4. While the property in question has been put to use as the site for a single family dwelling, the age and design of the home require that to continue to put the site to a reasonable use a variance be granted. The current home is approximately ninety-six feet long and twenty-four feet wide. Adding any more length to the house would render the house unappealing architecturally and most likely unsalable. To put the property to reasonable use requires the granting of a variance to a maximum of eleven feet from the current West facing wall of the home towards Siems Court. 5. The current hardship has not been created by the property owner. As noted above, the topography of the 3 Lots has required placement of the home in its current location and expansion is effectively limited to the West. 6. The granting of the variance will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood. In fact, the failure to grant the variance will have a more dramatic effect on the neighborhood. As noted above, many existing homes on Siems Court and Arden Place have been demolished and new homes constructed - all within the near past. A large number of the homes on Siems Court and Arden Place have been remodeled. Granting the requested variance will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood and will in fact contribute positively to the transformation currently underway in the neighborhood. 7. There are no safety concerns raised by the proposed expansion or variance. In fact, the property line along the area of the proposed expansion from which the forty foot set back is measured is about fifteen to seventeen feet from the edge of Siems Court. That means that the house as expanded would still sit approximately forty eighty to fifty feet from the edge of the street. 8. Many ofthe homes in the neighborhood are less than forty feet from their property line and some are even less than forty feet from the edge of the street. The applicants are simply trying to use the property in a manner that has been allowed on nearby properties. If the proposal is out of character with the neighborhood, then development of the other properties in the neighborhood must be considered out of character with the neighborhood as well. Conclusion The applicants have proposed expansion of an existing home in keeping with the current activities and character of the neighborhood which would add value to the City's tax base. The 2.