1012 40TH ST 2016-01-01 MF Import

Teresa—After meeting with Eugene Friday, I visited ihe site this morning. It is very obvious tFat he was way off in his calculation of base elevation when he submitted it for build ng permrt. He shows a difference in elevation of 3 feet between point B (wesi midpoint) and point D(east midpoint�, on a site that slopes,on average by about 1590 (10 feet drop in a 60 foot wide lot = 16.7°/o). E3ased on photos of the lot as viewed from the street prior ro the start of construction, the �pl ill west side o(the site was more level than the east side of the lot. It appears that the retaining wall built on the west property line for the house to the west may have cast the dirt frnm that excavation on the uphill side of the subject lot, thereby creating the shelf on the west porticn of the subject lot. Since the plat was approved in 1981, prior to the change in our n�ethod of calculating building height and base elevation, the c�de requires us to use the existing gr�de, rather than the approved topography that the City approved through a land development permit, like a subdivision. Had Eugene taken more care with the establishment of base elevation, he would not have had to hire a surveyor, and we would not be in the position of attempting to review the assumptions of the surveyor. However, since his estimation of the elevation of the midpoints of the rectangle enclosing the building footprint were so far off, I am indined to agree with the surveyor's assumed elevations before excavation. [ven if the surveyor was off by 2 feet for the assumed elevation of point B, the 6ase elevation would be different by 6 inches, and not enough to make any diffe�ence in impacl to the views of the two houses located on the uphill west side of the subject property. While I do not want to be put in the position of having surveyors create assumptions about elevations that existed prior to constructioo, in this instance I will agree with the surveyor's work and approve the building height based on this methodalogy, the site visit, the phoro from prior to construction, contour information on the City's GIS, and tlie contour elevations in the original plat file. I would like to encourage staff to visit buiiding sites in the future in order to determine if buildings of 2 stories or more on sloping sites may be at risk of exceeding the permitted height above base elevation. While it is not always possible to review all sites, it would preferable to review such permit applications to see if staff agrees with the information provided by the applicant. Thank you for your efforts on ;his. Thank you also to Jeif for his time and azsistance �vith this permit. Allan Giffen :� —