pf07-033 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

` NARRATIVE FOR VARIANCE APPLICATION Lot 34 of 2950 Owasso Blvd W. ,-� We respectfully request a variance be issued for Lot 34 of Owasso Lake Park that would allow us to improve the existing driveway in preparation for building a house on the lot. The existing driveway was originally built to service the home at 2950 Owasso Blvd W in the 1950's, but has not been used as such since the 1990's. In August of 2006, a small area south/southwest of the existing drive was classified as a Type 1 wetland, a seasonally flooded basin (generally March through May). This creates a conflict with the City Code 1016.16 which requires driveways to have a 30 foot setback from any wetland. The existing driveway has a 10-19 foot setback from this newly delineated marginal wetland. Our plans for this property include building a LEED certified home and maintaining as much of the natural state of the property as possible, including protecting the wetland areas on the property. We want to maintain and protect the wooded nature of the lot and limit any changes or plantings to predominantly native species. At first, we assumed it would be best to relocate the driveway. After studying the lot drainage patterns, major trees, and existing driveway location, it is clear to us that relocating the driveway would be significantly more harmful to the property than a careful and thoughtful improvement of the existing driveway. Relocating the driveway would involve removat of a 13 inch diameter evergreen and more than a dozen native deciduous trees. It would require 814 cubic yards of fill in a low lying area which acts as a key drainage area for the street end of the lot, and would destroy the area on the property which contains the greatest diversity of plants. In addition, if we are required to relocate the driveway, we would have the problem of the existing driveway still being present and unable to support tree growth or native plantings without extensive excavation of the gravel base. Cost becomes a factor as well, but mostly from the stand point of cost to the natural qualities of the lot. Driveway relocation has a dollar cost close to three times as much as improving what exists and at the same time destroys more in terms of the natural state of the land. In contrast, the existing driveway can be improved without removing any trees except to complete the buckthorn eradication. The only 3 species of wetland plants present (box eider, American elm, and green ash trees) would not be harmed by having a driveway closer than 30 feet. And most importantly, by regrading the existing driveway to send runoff away from the wetland, water quality can be maintained or even improved. In conclusion, all indications are that this driveway setback variance will not have a detrimental impact on this marginal wetland. Kris Simonson Stew Roberts ` �