17-75 Special Exception 806 Howard Street

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1f_1 University of Notre Dame Institute for Educational Initiatives December 5, 2017 Dear Area Board ol'Zoning Appeals Members, I am writing you this letter to express opposition to the variance being sought by Alliance Architects,at the December 6 meeting of your Board,for the property located at 806 Howard St. in South Bend. I am a homeowner at 928 N.Notre Dame Ave, located within 300 feet of the property for which the seven variances are sought,as described in the November 2017 letter to neighborhood residents from Ms. Carolyn Henry. I understand that on certain matters(such as front porch setbacks)variances are commonly sought and granted with little need for deliberation. However,what is sought in this case is a radical departure from the neighborhood's zoning regulations. The plan has significant negative impact on the neighborhood as to both general welfare (safety, aesthetics, convenience) and property value. The plan is a laudable one for a different location, but not at in character with the neighborhood. I will address these concerns in more detail,but note them up front to claim the degree of variance in this case places a heavy burden of proof on the part of the petitioner, rather than on those opposing it,to convincingly argue to the contrary. In this case the variances sought are so out of line with zoning regulations as to call into question the very existence of such regulations should a variance be warranted here. Others have no doubt expressed the specific problems with the proposed variances in more detail, so I will here note only three. First,the parking variance sought would entail this property's absorption of a significantly disproportionate amount of street parking. The fair sharing of street parking is presumably why zoning regulations demand that office spaces have adequate off street parking. Abandoning that zoning regulation in such a radical manner would not only be an issue of fairness and inconvenience to local homeowners (and their guests), but also pose a threat to the safety of the literally dozens of children in the immediately surrounding houses who play on the park and field that surround 806 Howard St. Second, the height variance would significantly impact the aesthetics of the neighborhood and therefore property value. Again it is worth reflecting on why such a zoning regulation exists in this neighborhood in the first place. The reason for it surely relates to fairness to all neighborhood property owners,aesthetics, and property value. A variance on the height would impact all of these. Third and finally,the proposal is not at all in line with the character of the neighborhood. The plan entails a significantly more attractive building in its exterior, as well as an exciting commitment to mixed use space that the City rightly supports in areas zoned for Visitation Hall,Notre Dame,Indiana 46556 P: 574-631-4449 F: 574-631-2833 E: iei@nd.edu nd.edu W:http://ici.nd.cdu