REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Action on a Variance to Maintain a One-Car Garage with a 597 Square Foot Addition to a Single-Family Residence at 723 Scott Boulevard
Report
BACKGROUND
On April 18, 2022, the applicant, Dimpy Sanduja, filed an application for a variance to construct a 597 square foot rear addition to an existing single-family home and maintain an attached one-car garage. The project requires a variance to maintain the existing one-car garage where two covered parking spaces are required for a single-family addition of 500 square feet or more.
The subject site is located in a residential development tract that was originally constructed with one-car garages. Many of the homes in this neighborhood have requested variances to retain a one-car garage for additions over 500 square feet.
DISCUSSION
The project proposes a 597 square foot addition to an existing 936 square foot single-story residence with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The proposal as completed would be a 1,533 square foot single-story residence with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an attached one-car garage.
The minimum required driveway access to a garage per Santa Clara City Code (SCCC) Section 18.74.050(a)(2) is ten feet in width with one foot of landscaping on each side. The required minimum lot width in the R1-6L zone is 60 feet and the subject property has 57 feet with a seven-and-a-half-foot side yard setback from the existing garage. The substandard 57-foot width of the lot and the existing layout of the home would require a significant demolition of the existing structure to accommodate the required dimension for a covered parking space of 20 feet depth by 20 feet width. The applicant has provided a statement of justification for the proposed Variance attached to this staff report as Attachment 1 for review.
Prior to 2014, the City's General Plan included a policy that additions not exceeding 500 square feet (and less than four bedrooms) could be constructed...
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