City of Avondale Estates. Photo by Dean Hesse.
By Zoe Seiler
The Avondale Estates City Commission will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 5:30 p.m. for a regular meeting, followed by a work session. The city commission meeting will be held at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 N. Avondale Plaza, and via Zoom.
During the regular meeting, the city commission will consider approving an amendment to the zoning code to reduce the required street-side side yard setbacks for corner lots for properties zoned R-12 and R-24.
To join the meeting via Zoom, click here. To call in, dial +1-301-715-8592. The webinar ID is 865 1636 7352.
To view the meeting agenda, click here.
Public comments can be made either by attending the meeting in-person or through Zoom.
The city’s zoning code establishes a front yard and street side setback of 40 feet for properties zoned R-12 and R-24.
City staff worked with Lord Aeck Sargent, an architectural and design firm, to evaluate the existing conditions of corner lots, the ability to build on lots with different street-side setbacks, and the typical widths of lots.
There are 51 corner lots in the city’s historic district. The lots are long and narrow, and the current side yard setbacks are generally between 10-20 feet.
“The width of the front yard influences the appropriate street-side setback. Shorter street-side setbacks are warranted on properties with font yards that are 90 feet are less,” a memo of the recommendations states.
In the amendment, the residential regulations for the corner lots are set based on if the width of the front yards are 90 feet or less, or greater than 90 feet.
“Essentially, we said if the front yard is 90 feet or less, and the height of the house is 28 feet or less, we created a setback that was less restrictive,” Assistant City Manager Shannon Powell previously said. “Essentially, the bigger the building and the bigger the lot, the bigger the setback.”
There are about 50 corner lots that are zoned R-24 and the existing setbacks are typically larger.
“The allowable height in R-24 is 35’. As a result of the existing condition and allowable heights in R-24, larger street-side setbacks are warranted,” the memo from the city staff says. “For homes 28’ high or less, the proposed 20’ street-side setback is appropriate. For taller homes, a 25’ setback is recommended.”
A table of the proposed side yard setbacks for corner lots with residential zoning designations in Avondale Estates. Photo courtesy of Avondale Estates.
During the work session, the city commission will discuss extending the maturity of the bond anticipation note an additional year. The initial closing date of the BAN is Oct. 31.
The city commission issued the BAN in 2019, which acts as a line of credit the city can borrow from, City Manager Patrick Bryant previously said. The issued the BAN to borrow money to develop the Town Green.
“The bond anticipation note lasts for a three-year period. After that period, once we’re finished borrowing funds through that bond anticipation note, then we have to come back and issue an actual bond to pay off the bond anticipation note,” Bryant previously said.
Decaturish previously reported that the city would only borrow the necessary amount to complete the project, and not borrow the entire amount of the BAN. The BAN also would not incur debt immediately.
Read the original story on Decaturish.com.
