Board grants front-building-line variance at 20 Shady Cove Drive, citing floodway constraints

The Richardson Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 4-1 to grant a variance at 20 Shady Cove Drive that will allow a 30-foot front building line instead of the standard 35 feet, limited to the footprint the applicant submitted.

Christine Ross, a planner in Development Services, presented the staff analysis and said the lot is in the Canyon Creek Country Club No. 4 subdivision and is encumbered by a floodway easement that covers about 57% of the property, leaving roughly 36% of the lot developable. Staff concluded that limitation on the buildable area constituted a physical property hardship under the statutory criteria and recommended approval.

Applicant Angie Fleener testified that the existing J-swing garage and driveway grading make her garage essentially unusable, that water pooling creates foundation concerns, and that a front-facing garage addition is the practical solution because building in the rear is prohibited by the creek and floodway easement.

Board members asked whether any approval would be tied to the applicant’s submitted footprint. City staff and counsel clarified that, if granted, the variance would be limited to the footprint shown in the packet (the area staff evaluated). Scott Rooker moved to grant the variance limited to the plan presented; Sabrina Bohnsack seconded. The motion passed 4-1.

Staff noted that two letters of support and two letters in opposition had been received in advance and the applicant was present. The board’s approval permits the applicant to pursue the front-facing garage addition within the footprint evaluated by staff; actual construction remains subject to building permits and code compliance.