APPELLANT'S
SUBMISSION
Mikhail Serov submitted an
application requesting a relaxation of the zoning bylaw to allow for
construction of a new home with a detached garage.
Mr. Serov appeared before members
of the Board of Variance.
BURNABY
PLANNING AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT COMMENTS
The subject site, which is zoned
R5 Residential District, is located in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood, in
which the age and condition of the single and two family dwellings vary.
This interior lot, approximately 33.0 ft. wide and 122.0 ft. deep, fronts
Ellesmere Avenue to the east. The subject property abuts single family
dwellings immediately to the north, south and across the lane to the west.
Vehicle access to the site is provided via the rear lane. The site observes
a downward slope of approximately 18.5 ft. from the front to the rear.
A new single family dwelling with
a detached garage is currently under construction on the subject site
(BLD16-00090). However, once the construction reached the mid-stage
(sheathing), a deviation from the approved plans was identified by City
staff upon inspection of the BC Land Surveyor’s roof elevation certificate.
As a result, a variance is requested in order to permit construction to
continue with the deviation incorporated into the approved plans.
The appeal is to vary Section
105.6(1)(b) – “Height of Principal Building” of the Zoning Bylaw from 24.3
ft. to 25.1 ft. to allow the construction of the proposed single family
dwelling with a flat roof.
The intent of the height
requirements of the Zoning Bylaw is to mitigate the massing impacts of the
new buildings and structures on neighbouring properties and to preserve the
views.
As explained by the applicant, the
deviation from the approved drawings is related to the direction of the
roof scope, which was modified during the preparation of the shop drawings
for roof trusses. Original approved drawings indicate that the roof was to
slope one way over its shorter dimension. The roof trussed was fabricated,
however, to allow for a two way slope with the roof high point in the
middle of its longer dimension. As a result, the overall building height
was increased by 10 inches.
The proposed dwelling observes a
rear elevation height of 21.7 ft. from the lane property line, which is 2.6
ft. less than the allowed maximum height. Therefore, this proposal would
not affect the views from the properties directly across the lane to the
west, which are at substantially higher elevations.
The requested variance is for the
front elevation height. In this case, the height calculation is based on
the natural average grade at the outermost face of the front elevation.
This is also the proposed average grade. It should be noted that a
substantial grade difference from the rear to the front of the subject site
is a contributing factor to the excess height of the front elevation.
The proposed height encroachment
of 0.8 ft. occurs approximately at the upper portion of the decorative
fascia of the flat roof. According to the provided BC Land Surveyor’s roof
elevation certificate, the encroachment along the eastern (front) edge of
the roof is only 0.3 ft. and gradually increases to 0.8 ft. at the
mid-point of the roof, approximately 23.0 ft. away from the front face of
the building.
Considering the small scale of the
encroachment, the proposed variance to the height requirements of the
Zoning Bylaw would not impact neighbouring properties and would not be
noticeable within the existing street frontage.
In view of the above, this
Department does not object to the granting of this variance.
ADJACENT OWNER’S COMMENTS
The owner/resident at 42 Howard
Avenue appeared in opposition to the proposed variance. The speaker
expressed concern regarding the loss of view.
The owner/resident at 46 Howard
Avenue appeared in opposition to the proposed variance. The speaker
expressed concern regarding the loss of view.
Staff
explained that the permitted height is 24.3 feet and that the variance
would be for a further 0.8 feet, only at the midpoint of the roof.
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