Resolution - #98-09-220A - 09/10/1998

Home

o 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. That the mean ground level on the Subject Property will be 874.75 feet; the highest point of the roof is 919.0 feet, which is approximately 44.25 feet above the mean ground level and exceeds the 35 foot height restriction by 9.25 feet. That the 35 foot height restriction is based on the reach capabilities of fire suppression equipment in the City's fire department. That the Board of Adjustment did grant a structure height variance to a 35 foot high 3-story motel in the commercial district that included parapet walls for architectural enhancement that extended 9.5 feet above the building roof. That City Fire Chief has stated in a memo dated August 25, 1998, that the current maximum reach capability of the Fire Department for fire suppression and rescue operations is 38 feet, but the long range capital plan includes acquisition of an Aerial Ladder Truck scheduled for purchase in 2005 that will have a reach capability of 80 feet or more. That the distance from the mean ground elevation to the head of the third story windows on the proposed structure is 29.5 feet and to the sill it is 24.5 feet. That the Uniform Building Code will require that each dwelling unit and all public areas of the apartment building be equipped with a fire suppression system (automatic sprinkler system). That the Fire Chief has recommended escalating the priority of the acquisition of the Aerial Ladder Truck and in the interim, the Fire Department will establish an operational procedure to immediately call for the assistance of fire departments from neighboring communities that have Aerial Ladder Trucks in the event of an emergency on the Subject Property. That the special conditions causing the undue hardship, restrictions based on fire suppression reach capabilities, do not result from the actions of the Applicant. That the architect, Miller,Hanson, Westerbeck, Berger, Inc., is proposing to design the Structure with a NFPA 13 dry sprinkler system in the attic. That if denied, the Community will be deprived of constructing a facility that will help achieve the City's life-cycle housing goals under the Livable Communities Act. That if granted, the variance will not grant any special privilege that is denied to other owners of lands, structures or buildings in the same district. That if granted, the variance will not impair an adequate supply of light and air to adjacent property.