12 Laurel St STATEMENT OF GROUNDSThis enlargement of the structure and use are no more detrimental to the neighborhood that the existing use because:
a. the proposed 2-family use is allowed in this District, and the City's social and economic need for additional safe and code compliant housing is met by this proposal.
b. the applicant will provide 4 on-site parking spaces for the occupants, which exceeds the 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit required by the Ordinance There is more than than sufficient
turn-around space for each parking space, so no driver will need to back out onto Laurel Street; the line-of-site up and down Laurel Street is good in both directions, so there should
be should no traffic hazard for vehicles entering or exiting the site, or to traffic on Laurel Street.
c. all necessary public utility services already serve the site.
d. after the construction, the structure will cover only 17.4 % of the lot area, leaving most of the large yard area open, so there should be no significant negative impacts to the
natural environment or drainage.
e. The proposed 2-family residential use is consistent with the existing character of the neighborhood. There will no significant changes to the existing structure, and the architects
have carefully designed the new addition to maintain the same height, scale and exterior shape to be consistent with, and complimentary to the existing structure, so this proposal should
have no negative impact on the neighborhood character.
f. adding the additional dwelling unit will increase the assessed value of the property, and increased real estate tax revenue will be paid to the City annually. The construction of
the addition will also provide at least temporary new jobs in the community.