HomeMy WebLinkAboutVA199900023 Correspondence 1999-09-03 September 3, 1999 filiP
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County of Albemarle BUILDI'G CODE&ZONING SERVICES
Department of Building Code
And Zoning Services
401 McIntire Road
Room 223
Charlottesville, VA 22902-4596
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are writing in response to your notice of August 11, 1999. It concerned VA-99-23,
D. Hoffman, M. Sheridan, and L. Rich(owners)/Julie Drexler(applicant), Sign#3)—Tax
Map 26, Parcel 35B. If the variance is granted, it would move the setback closer to the
property we own.
While we plan on attending the public hearing on September 7th, we wanted to provide
our thoughts in writing for your convenience. Specifically, we oppose the request to
change the side setback from 25 feet to 10 feet. Our reasons are simple:
• We have no desire to have other homes closer than necessary to us. One of the major
reasons we spent a great deal of money to build upon it is that we have a good buffer
around our home. While we would welcome Ms. Drexler to the area as our neighbor,
having her build any closer to us than necessary is not in our best interests and could
harm our property's value,much as it will probably decrease the Crum's property
value.
• Mr. Jones, the previous owner of our property,has lifelong rights to farm the
property. He grazes his cattle and our horses on it. Decreasing the setback could
have an adverse effect on the livestock. As you know, cattle and horses can be easily
spooked, which in turn can harm their productivity. We also have plans for future
usage of the property. These plans, and their additional value to our property, could
be negatively affected by a closer homesite.
• Finally, our understanding from Ms. Drexler is that she can build her home within the
current ordinance. While it would save her some money to have the setback changed,
this does not meet the test of an"undue hardship"under section 15.2-2309.
We would be glad to provide any additional information you require.
Sincerely,
dLtce,,:);760,,,
Steve and Cecilia Kimata