Chairman Lichtenfeld asked if there were any comments. William Liebermann stated that this seems logical.

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Hearing no further questions or comments and hearing none from the audience, Ron Reim made a motion to recommend approval to the Board of Aldermen per staff recommendations. The motion was seconded by Carolyn Gaidis and unanimously approved by the members.

SITE PLAN/ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW – NEW CONSTRUCTION – SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE – 8120 STRATFORD

Lauren Strutman, project architect, was in attendance at the meeting. Eric Vietmeier, project civil engineer, was also in attendance at the meeting.

Susan Istenes announced that the architectural aspects of this project will be considered first due to the applicant’s request for “Alternative Compliance” as defined in the Urban Design District Regulations. She proceeded by explaining (taken from staff’s report) that the proposed project consists of the construction of a 3,255 square foot single-family residence with a 795 square foot attached, front entry garage. The height of the proposed residence is 26 feet 6 inches as measured from the average existing grade to the mean height of the roof. This project was presented to the Architectural Review Board on May 21, 2018 for a conceptual review. Stratford Drive features mostly two story homes and has the highest concentration of new houses in the Clayton Gardens neighborhood. The height and massing of the proposed house is similar to the new construction trends seen in the neighborhood. The main difference of this proposed structure is the inclusion of a below-grade, front entry garage. The Clayton Gardens Urban Design District states that “at- grade, side loading garages or detached garages or rear loading garages are preferred in all cases and shall be utilized where 51 percent or more of the homes on the block have them.” Based on the definition of a block in the City’s Zoning Regulations, which includes both sides of the street, over 51 percent of the houses on the block have side loading, detached or rear loading garages, which means that one of those three options should be used on any new construction house. The applicant is proposing a below-grade, front entry garage as a form of Alternative Compliance. Article VI General Provisions for the Urban Design Zoning Districts outlines a process for Alternative Compliance, where applicants can request that the Plan Commission or Architectural Review Board review designs that do not meet standards due to unusual site conditions, but that conform to the intent of the standards. This process is similar to a request for a variance from the Zoning Regulations that is heard by Board of Adjustment. The “Alternative Compliance” Section of the Code reads:

Section 410.285 Alternative Compliance: Upon request of an applicant, the Planning Commission or Architectural Review Board, as appropriate depending on the type of development and application, may approve an alternative approach that may be substituted in whole or in part for a plan meeting these design standards. This approach is intended to apply in unusual circumstances that might arise where an alternative approach would provide a result that is equal to or superior to that which would be provided by the approach outlined by the standards in this Chapter. Economic consideration shall not be a basis for alternative compliance.