Monday, October 13, 2014

Long-Time Laurelhurst Home Near St. Stephens Demolished To Make Way For Two New Large Homes

home demolished recently at 4720 NE 45th Street  
 
 
 
 
 home as it stood before demolition at 4720 NE 45th Street 
to make way  for 2 new homes
 
 



The yellow house at 4720 NE 45th Street, built in 1936, directly across from St. Stephens Church, was recently demolished and will be replaced with two homes sitting each on roughly 5000 square feet, as the Laurelhurst Blog reported in April of last year.
 
The Department of Planning and Development (DPD) project numbers associated with this upcoming construction, which is considered a short plat, are Project #3016836 and #3016832,  were submitted to the City in March of last year.  

The owner, Thomas Hall, bought the 2000 square foot home in 1990, and hasn't lived there for quite some time. He also owns the small house next door, 4711 48th Avenue NE.  
 
The land us application states a request "to subdivide one parcel into two parcels of land. Proposed parcel sizes are: X) 5,025 sq. ft. and Y) 5,025 sq. ft. Existing structures to be demolished." However the lot size on the King County Assessor website shows as 9,526 square feet.
 
Branin Burdette, DPD Land Use Planner, told us that "the submitted survey shows the lot at 10,049 square feet, therefore allowing a subdivision of two lots into roughly 5000 square foot lots.  The proposed subdivision shows compliance with the minimum lot size requirements of 5000 square feet."
 
He added that there was a boundary line adjustment one on the lots addressed 4716 NE 45th Street, 4511 48th Avenue NE and 4720 NE 45th Street.
   
One Home Per Lot.  a city-wide grassroots group monitoring large homes built on side and backyards of existing homes, said that in "reviewing the permits, it looks as if there were three lots and the developer/owner did a boundary adjustment to ensure that the two lots under the current permit would be 5,000 square foot lots.  
 
The group added that three lots have been given three separate addresses (4720 NE 45th Street, 4501 48th Avenue NE, 4503 48th Avenue NE) and are being combined and manipulated n different ways for the project via lot boundary adjustments to create three new lots sizes: A) 5,097 sq. ft; B) 10,049 sq. ft; C) 6,682 sq.ft.   The largest of those three lots (lot "B") will then be subdivided into two lots, each 5,025 square feet, called a short plat.
 
Burdette said that "currently, the only revised lot line shown is the new lot line directly in the middle.  This new property line runs east to west.  The City right-of-way will not be counted in the overall lot size, lot coverage allowances or setbacks."
 
The new home on the northern lot, Burdette said,  will have access off of 48th Avenue NE while the southern lot will, most likely, have access off of NE 45th Street. 
 
"No clear access will be proposed on the southern lot until such time as a building permit is proposed.  We do not regulate the orientation of single family home or where their 'front door' needs to face.  Although it would be unique, a new home on this lot could have their front door face the northern or western property line, if desired," Burdette said.
 
DPD said no addresses have been given to either proposed new lot.


A nearby neighbor expressed concern regarding the current  zoning guidelines and the potential that the new house on the new corner lot would have to be built about 7 feet further to the west than the current structure is, making it a very skinny house.
 
Burdette said that the home on the southern lot would be classified as a reverse corner lot, which means that if they take their front yard off of 48th Avenue NE, then they would have a 10-foot side yard requirement along NE 45th Street and if they took their front yard off of NE 45th Street then a 10-foot side yard would be required off of 48th Avenue NE. 
 
"Assuming they orient the home towards 48th Avenue NE, the home could still be 37 feet wide and meet applicable setbacks.  They would have a 19.4’ rear yard setback and should have a standard 20’ front yard," Burdette said.
 
A nearby neighbor commented:
I live in  a home on a 4000 square foot lot, which "apparently was grandfathered in when it was built in the early 1940s when zoning laws were different.  The lot seems small, and is, in comparison to my neighbors.  I know that the Laurelhurst community is concerned with development on less than full-sized residential parcels.  And so, as a neighbor, I request further information and clarification before the project is considered.
Another neighbor commented that "an interesting feature of this project is that the entire side yard facing 48th Avenue NE,  except about 3 feet, is City right of way and may not be figured into the calculations.  

The developer is listed as:
PAUL GLOSNIAK
BDR HOMES
11100 MAIN STREET
SUITE 201
BELLEVUE, WA 98004

The applicant (and person listed as the primary contact) is:
KEVIN CLEARYGOLDSMITH ENGINEERING
1215 114TH AVENUE SE
BELLEVUE, WA 9800
425-462-1080 x257
 
And the architect is:


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