Variance NarrativeVariance Narrative: Maintenance Addition Setback
Standard Setback – 35 feet
Requested Setback – 20 feet
Chapel Hill Academy, located at 306 W. 78th Street, is requesting a variance from the standard
35-foot setback from Great Plains Boulevard right-of-way to allow the construction of a
maintenance addition onto the west side of the existing gym building. The proposed addition
would encroach into the setback just over 14 feet and be 20 plus feet from the street right-of-
way. The proposed addition would be 21’-4” wide and 48’ long as shown on the site plan and
would only be used for maintenance equipment and storage related to the school site. This
addition will not increase the student enrollment number, add any additional staff, or increase
traffic to the site.
The entire site was reviewed for placement of a maintenance addition before pursuing the
addition in the proposed location on the west side. Chapel Hill Academy’s desire is to place the
addition away from the areas typically used by the children especially the playground/student
outdoor recreation area on the east side of the site. While access will be controlled it was felt
that it would be beneficial for student safety to have the maintenance area isolated. This will
provide for more flexibility in performing maintenance duties while not impacting the outdoor
activities of the students and maintaining a safe environment for both.
Most of the exterior walls around the school, other than the gym area, have windows to allow
natural light into classrooms and common spaces limiting the locations for an addition without
impacting existing uses. The north side of the site was eliminated as it abuts single family
residential property and is utilized for the sites storm water practice. The east side of the site
was eliminated as it either abuts single family residential property or is utilized for the outdoor
play area for students. The south side abuts West 78th Street and would result in the building
being closer to the street right-of-way than on the west side as proposed.
While the expansion will move the exterior wall closer to the road it will also provide an
opportunity for improvement of the visual look of the building from Great Plains Boulevard. The
addition will consist of a single-story height, which will break up the large flat exterior wall of the
gym. In addition, we are proposing spandrel windows on the west most wall to add more
architectural detail to the structure. While these add costs to the project they are being
proposed to improve on the exterior appearance as the addition will be closer to the road.
The requested variance will not be out of character for this area and the surrounding uses. The
four properties that are adjacent to Chapel Hill Academy on the west side of Great Plains
Boulevard are a mix of different zonings and uses:
• Two properties are zoned Central Business District (CBD) and the building is located at
a zero setback from the road right of way.
• One property is zoned Office Institutional District (OI) and the building is located 20 feet
from the road right of way.
• One property is zoned High Density Residential District (R12) and is located 35 feet from
the road right of way.
All of the distances referenced were measured off of the County GIS mapping as full survey
information was not obtained on these adjacent sites. The requested 20-foot setback is in
character with the adjacent properties and identical to the existing setback of the other OI zoned
property directly adjacent to the site. The required setback would be met on the other sides of
the property that are adjacent to single residential properties.
This property serves as a transition/buffer area between the higher density uses of the Central
Business District zoning to the west and the single family residential zoning to the north and
east. Chapel Hill Academy takes pride in the maintenance of their buildings and grounds.
Having the ability to store equipment and materials on-site and in an enclosed portion of the
building will allow for more timely attention to maintenance details ensuring the grounds and
buildings are maintained to a high standard.