Graham City Council votes to cancel American Inn demolition
by By Cherry Young
(Posted 7/14/2009 03:44 pm)
American Inn has received a new lease on life. City council voted to rescind the demolition order for the structure at Thursday’s meeting.
The demolition order was approved at the June 11 council meeting giving the owners 60 days to bring the motel into compliance with safety codes.
Larry Fields reported to the council that the owners have remedied the property’s safety violations.
“Obviously this doesn’t mean the project is completed. Permitting will have to be acquired and codes will be met, but I complement you and thank you for doing what you’ve done out there,” he said.
Also at the meeting, the council approved spending $9,281 to repair playgrounds at Fireman’s Park and Normandy Park. Melissa York presented a proposal to council members for repairing and replacing some of the playground equipment at both parks.
She said private donors will provide the new equipment and labor if the city will pay the expense to repair the old equipment. She added that old equipment will be donated to Mt. Zion Church.
Three requests for variances from setback regulations were decided at the meeting as well.
The property owner at 1000 Third Street had previously requested a side yard setback of 18 inches for an accessory building which was approved. However, the owner began construction greater than 18 inches from his fence before he discovered his fence did not sit on the property line.
Larry Fields, city manager, said the city does not issue permits for fences. He said he recommended to the previous owner of that property that he build the fence farther back, but was ignored. If an issue were ever to arise, the city may remove the fence at the owner’s expense.
The current property owner, Thomas Ridings, said he does not feel he should be penalized and have to move the fence because of the actions of the previous owner.
Although a neighbor adjacent to Ridings had not been in the original proceedings to approve the 18-inch variance for the out building, he attended Thursday’s meeting to state that the building detracts from his view. He argued that city code requires that structures on a corner lot are required to be set back so they are flush with houses along the adjacent street. Mayor Wayne Christian pointed out that it was too late because that by granting the original variance, the best they can do is deny the present request requiring Ridings to move the building back 18 inches. It was agreed by all doing so would not remedy the problem of his view, Christian said, making no one happy in the situation, but would be following the letter of the law.
The council voted to deny the variance, meaning Ridings is required to move the out building 18 inches.
The other two variances involved the Millwood Addition. Fields said the problem with the addition is that the development was planned 25 years ago as a mobile home subdivision, but with today’s manufactured housing getting larger in size, the lots are not big enough to set the houses on and allow for the required setbacks.
The discussion began when Randy Tackett came before the council requesting a variance for an accessory building to go on his property on Bluebonnet Circle. When the lot was inspected, city officials noticed Tackett’s house itself did not meet the front setback requirements. It was discovered that the company who set up the home did so without first receiving a variance. Fields said one of the home manufacturers had begun to act as though the city “rubber-stamped” setback variance requests for the Millwood Addition.
Tackett was asked to contact the company and check his contract to see if they would move his house to bring it into compliance. At Thursday’s meeting, it was reported that the moving company is not contractually obligated to move the home.
The council approved Tackett’s request for the setback variance, making a total of three approved variances of this type in the subdivision.
Next was another variance request for an additional home to be placed on a lot on Bluebonnet Circle.
“If we keep doing this, once this thing is built out, we’re going to have a mobile home park instead of a mobile home subdivision,” said Fields.
“This is the exact same as the other variances but we staff are saying you gotta start somewhere.”
He added that as of now there are additional lots available for purchase in the neighborhood or there are mobile homes available for purchase that will fit within the setback requirements.
“The facts are you can meet these regulations, we just haven’t made people meet them,” said Fields.
Council voted to deny the variance request.
by By Cherry Young
(Posted 7/14/2009 03:44 pm)
American Inn has received a new lease on life. City council voted to rescind the demolition order for the structure at Thursday’s meeting.
The demolition order was approved at the June 11 council meeting giving the owners 60 days to bring the motel into compliance with safety codes.
Larry Fields reported to the council that the owners have remedied the property’s safety violations.
“Obviously this doesn’t mean the project is completed. Permitting will have to be acquired and codes will be met, but I complement you and thank you for doing what you’ve done out there,” he said.
Also at the meeting, the council approved spending $9,281 to repair playgrounds at Fireman’s Park and Normandy Park. Melissa York presented a proposal to council members for repairing and replacing some of the playground equipment at both parks.
She said private donors will provide the new equipment and labor if the city will pay the expense to repair the old equipment. She added that old equipment will be donated to Mt. Zion Church.
Three requests for variances from setback regulations were decided at the meeting as well.
The property owner at 1000 Third Street had previously requested a side yard setback of 18 inches for an accessory building which was approved. However, the owner began construction greater than 18 inches from his fence before he discovered his fence did not sit on the property line.
Larry Fields, city manager, said the city does not issue permits for fences. He said he recommended to the previous owner of that property that he build the fence farther back, but was ignored. If an issue were ever to arise, the city may remove the fence at the owner’s expense.
The current property owner, Thomas Ridings, said he does not feel he should be penalized and have to move the fence because of the actions of the previous owner.
Although a neighbor adjacent to Ridings had not been in the original proceedings to approve the 18-inch variance for the out building, he attended Thursday’s meeting to state that the building detracts from his view. He argued that city code requires that structures on a corner lot are required to be set back so they are flush with houses along the adjacent street. Mayor Wayne Christian pointed out that it was too late because that by granting the original variance, the best they can do is deny the present request requiring Ridings to move the building back 18 inches. It was agreed by all doing so would not remedy the problem of his view, Christian said, making no one happy in the situation, but would be following the letter of the law.
The council voted to deny the variance, meaning Ridings is required to move the out building 18 inches.
The other two variances involved the Millwood Addition. Fields said the problem with the addition is that the development was planned 25 years ago as a mobile home subdivision, but with today’s manufactured housing getting larger in size, the lots are not big enough to set the houses on and allow for the required setbacks.
The discussion began when Randy Tackett came before the council requesting a variance for an accessory building to go on his property on Bluebonnet Circle. When the lot was inspected, city officials noticed Tackett’s house itself did not meet the front setback requirements. It was discovered that the company who set up the home did so without first receiving a variance. Fields said one of the home manufacturers had begun to act as though the city “rubber-stamped” setback variance requests for the Millwood Addition.
Tackett was asked to contact the company and check his contract to see if they would move his house to bring it into compliance. At Thursday’s meeting, it was reported that the moving company is not contractually obligated to move the home.
The council approved Tackett’s request for the setback variance, making a total of three approved variances of this type in the subdivision.
Next was another variance request for an additional home to be placed on a lot on Bluebonnet Circle.
“If we keep doing this, once this thing is built out, we’re going to have a mobile home park instead of a mobile home subdivision,” said Fields.
“This is the exact same as the other variances but we staff are saying you gotta start somewhere.”
He added that as of now there are additional lots available for purchase in the neighborhood or there are mobile homes available for purchase that will fit within the setback requirements.
“The facts are you can meet these regulations, we just haven’t made people meet them,” said Fields.
Council voted to deny the variance request.
