A new building addition at a Mesa home may encroach into the required rear setback, the city’s Board of Adjustment decided recently.
The board on March 1 voted unanimously in a consent agenda with other items to approve a variance to allow the change at property south of East McKellips Road and west of North Greenfield Road. It is within the single residence 35 zoning district with a planned area development overlay. Board members Adam Gunderson and Heath Reed were absent.
The variance will allow construction of a proposed 2,211-square-foot home addition that will encroach approximately 15 feet 6 inches into the required 30-foot rear setback, according to a written staff report.
“You can see it kind of has a triangular kind of shape here with an acute angle where the rear property line and the side property line meet, which kind of reduces the buildable area,” Staff Planner Emily Johnson said at a study session prior to the meeting. “The south property line is considered the rear of the property because it is a corner lot.”
Tim Boyle is the applicant. Kristen Ketterson is the owner.
The lot has two street-facing sides — a very thin side and a long side — and the house was built with the primary facade facing the long side on the east, according to a written project narrative from Atmosphere Architects.
“Because this irregularly shaped lot is so narrow in the front, creating an addition that is one-half the width of the building is challenging. If this were a standard square lot a similar encroachment would be allowed by code,” it states. “We request a variance to allow this addition to encroach into the rear yard 15 feet 6 inches. It is still 14 feet 7 inches from the rear fence.”
The seven-member Mesa Board of Adjustment conducts public meetings to hear and decide requests for variances, special-use permits and interpretations of the city of Mesa zoning ordinance and sign code. Members are appointed for staggered terms of three years, according to the city’s website.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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