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To: Zoning Board Members
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Subject: Fw: Report to the Zoning Board of Adjustment
Zoning Board Members:
Please see the email below from the applicants at 2814 Duff Avenue who have an Exception for Minor Area
Modification for side yard setback for a garage addition on our meeting agenda this Wednesday,October 28.
Erin Cain
Deputy City Clerk
515.239.5105 inctin 1 515.239.5103 direct 1515.239.5142 fax
ecain@city.ames.ia.us l City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue I Ames, IA 50010
www.cityofames.org/CityClerk
-----Forwarded by Justin Moore/COA on 10/26/2015 04:13 PM-----
From: Lojean Petersen<lojpete@yahoo.com>
To: "jrmoore@city.ames.ia.us"<jrmoore@city.ames.ia.us>
Date: 10/26/2015 02:07 PM
Subject: Report to the Zoning Board of Adjustment
Good Afternoon Justin,
In reviewing your report to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the request made by Else Construction.
We see no mention of the third vehicle that we are continually having to move every 2 days because we
have no garage to park it in. I believe when Justin from Else Construction was here we had the boat in the
garage when he came but it is not the reason we want a third garage. We did not realize this was the
reason given for the addition. It may have been a miscommunication between the contractor and
ourselves. Since moving here April 27th of this year, we have had to use on street parking. We have also
here of late rotated our third vehicle to our daughter's house and friend's house because it is so
dangerous to have a vehicle parked on our street. There have been 4 close calls with screeching tires
due to the amount of traffic we have and the speed of which they travel, which is why we have tried to
impose parking our third vehicle with friends and family off of our street this last month. We had hoped
that was a very short term arrangement. The safety issue is of upmost concern for us. We have a
daughter with 5 children that are always dropping off children, and it so dangerous when they cannot use
our driveway due to it already being used. Our driveway is short so it can only accommodate 2 vehicles
without it being over the sidewalk. There fore only allowing one extra vehicle to be parked when family
and friends that come often to visit and stay over at our home. Parking on the street on Duff Ave. is not a
desirable outcome especially when we have the room to change it and address the safety issues.
We also wonder if you are aware that according to our Contractor and Architect we cannot take down the
current outside wall of our garage because it is load bearing the way it was built. Therefore that is why
they both recommended that we build a minimum of a 12 foot garage because the 10 foot would not allow
us room for a vehicle by the time you take the wall and brick into consideration taking up space. It would
only be a glorified storage shed, which does not allow us to address the safety issues of us keeping our
third vehicle off the street and have our friends and family park on the street when they come to visit.
We feel your staff did not have the full information to base your evidence on Number 1 and Number 7 in
your Findings, in realizing we do have special circumstances that makes it difficult to make a 10 foot
addition work for a conforming garage. It would not work according to our Architect and our Contractor's
opinion due to the fact the wall has to stay and it will not be your normal open garage allowing us the room
for 3 vehicles. The unusual hardships and circumstances are the safety issues with the fact that we and
our family will have to continue to park our vehicles on a daily basis on Duff Ave and deal with the
unusually heavy traffic that Duff Ave. has. A 2 foot variance does not seem unreasonable when your
talking the safety of all the drive by and the grandchildren/visitors that have to exit their vehicles on a daily
basis.
We meet 6 of the 8 criteria and feel the 2 criteria we don't qualify on was because of miscommunication
and lack of information given to you. We hope you will reconsider your recommendation.
Sincerely,
Jim & Lojean Petersen
2814 Duff Ave.
Ames, IA 50010