HomeMy WebLinkAboutC_UsseryResidence_VarianceJustification_221212_V1
City of Renton
To: Andrew Van Gordon, Associate Planner
City of Renton Planning Division
1055 S. Grady Way
Renton, WA 98056
From: Signature GCI, General Contractor
Phillip Ussery & Heather Ussery
1024 N 36th St.
Renton WA
Variance Request Justification
Dear Vanessa Dolbee,
When our family purchased our home it was our intent from the beginning to live in the home for a few years and then
use the lot to build our dream home. At the time we purchased the property it was zoned as R-8 however it was later
rezoned and is now zoned as R-6. As a result of this rezoning our lot is now considered non-conforming as it is
considerably smaller than the 7,000 sq. Ft. minimum.
Originally our lot was created within the R-8 zone with the expectation that future development of the property would
follow the standards that were established based on the size of the property. There were also easements granted for
the flag lots to the north that were granted based on the understanding that that future development would follow
setback standards that are appropriate based on the size of the property.
Now that the property has been rezoned to R-6, future development is now expected to follow the setback standards
which were intended to be applied to larger lots.
The R-6 standards call for the following setbacks based on the minimum lot size which is 7,000 sq. ft.
- Rear and Front Yard setback is set to 25 ft. each.
- The side yard setbacks are set to 15ft total which typically leaves 7.5 ft.
The result of this is that the home footprint in a 7,000 sq. ft. lot that is conforming is 2,750 Sq. Ft.
If we are to follow the R-6 standards on our smaller non conforming lot, the maximum footprint for our home will be
less than 2,000 sq. Ft. Moving beyond just pure numbers of the sq. ft. of the home, when we look at functionality and
the efficiency of the floor plan, if we were to follow the additional side yard, front yard, and rear yard setbacks for a lot
designed to be within an R-8 zone. For example, the garage size cannot change. A two-car wide garage is about 20 ft.
wide. A hallway is typically 5 ft. wide. If the maximum width of a home is only 35 ft. (under the application of the R-6
setbacks) once we take out the width of the garage and the width of the hallway, we’re only left with 10 ft. for any
bedroom, stairway, entry or other use on the main floor. A quality home needs a quality home plan, and the current
application of the zoning code does not allow our family to build that.
For the reasons listed above, our family is requesting this Variance to allow us to build our forever home to the original
R-8 standards that we purchased the home under. Specifically, 5 ft. side yard setbacks and 20 ft. front and back yard
setbacks each. Additionally the construction of our home will be in full compliance with the current height restrictions
thus not obstructing any views.
Granting the variance will allow us to build a home that is similar in size and shape to others in the area respective to
their lot size, while also allowing us to build a floor plan that is unique but also in some ways standard. We believe that
building our home will have a positive impact for our neighborhood in terms of both property values as well as the
overall curb appeal of the area. Furthermore, given that the R-8 and R-6 border runs directly through the middle of N
36 th St. following the R-8 setbacks will allow our home to be built to similar standards as numerous homes on our street
including three homes that are directly across the street from us that have built homes with a similar footprint on lots
that are similarly sized.
Approval of this variance request does not grant our family any special privilege and will be consistent with other homes
in the area. Additionally the variance we have requested is very similar to variances that have been approved for other
families with similar sized non conforming lots who were negatively impacted by the city’s decision to rezone the area.
Specifically for parcel #8899600060 and parcel #3628600007.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Yours Truly,
The Ussery Family