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0 Due to the unique access and rear yard/side yard characteristics of comer lots, staff determined that there is a need to more specifically address the comer lot driveway setback issue. Therefore, staff has initiated an LDR amendment to allow driveways on corner lots to be set back 2' from rear lot lines, the same as is currently allowed for driveways adjacent to side lot lines. The proposed amendment. if adopted, would apply to corner lots throughout the unincorporated area of the county. No interior lots would be affected by the proposed amendment. Both the Professional Services Advisory Committee (PSAC) and the Planning and Zoning Commission have considered the amendment. At its February 10, 2000 meeting, the PSAC voted 6-0 to recommend that the Board adopt the proposed amendment. The Planning and Zoning Commission, at its meeting of February 10, 2000, voted 5-2 to recommend that the Board adopt the proposed amendment (see attachment #5). In accordance with State statutes, the type of LDR amendment proposed requires only one Board hearing. Therefore, the Board is now to consider the proposed amendment and is to adopt, adopt with changes, or deny the proposed LDR amendment. ANALYSIS• The county's LDRs establish setbacks for a variety of structures, including driveways. Standard building setbacks are established within each zoning district, and such setbacks constitute the "required yards" for the front, side, and rear of lots. Front and rear yards have the greatest building setbacks (e.g. 25'), while side yards have lesser building setbacks (e.g. 15'). Two parallel sections of the LDRs address special setbacks for driveways via specific allowable encroachments into front and side yards. These sections are zoning Chapter section 911.15(2)(1) and single-family development Chapter section 912.07(1)(b)6.k. Under the county's LDRs, comer lots have two front yards, one side yard, and one rear yard (see attachment #1). According to the LDRs, the side and rear yard designations on comer lots are determined by the length of front yard frontage. Thus, corner lots have side and rear lot lines that run perpendicular to front lot lines (see attachment #1). Therefore, it is common for driveways serving corner lots to run along both side and rear lot lines. The current LDRs specifically allow driveways to be located close to side lot lines, but do not specifically allow driveways to be located close to rear yards on comer lots. Current LDRs allow driveways serving single-family lots to encroach into side yard setbacks, and to be located within 2' of a side lot line. Over the years, there have been instances where driveways on single-family lots have also been allowed to be set back 2' from "rear" yards as defined in the LDRs (see attachment #1). This allowance needs to be specifically codified to provide consistency and clarity to the county's treatment of driveways on comer lots. Without this clarification, the LDRs would be interpreted as requiring the full rear yard setback (e.g. 25' in the RS -3 district) for driveways adjacent to rear lot lines. For driveway location purposes, it is reasonable and customary to treat corner lot side yards and rear Yards the same. In fact, several existing LDR sections recognize the special circumstances of corner lots by allowing setbacks between certain structures and rear lot lines on corner lots to be the same as setbacks between those structures and side lot lines. For instance, on corner lots, the LDRs allow the same rear and side yard setback for pools and pool screen enclosures (see attachment #3). Also, the City of Vero Beach treats corner lot setbacks in the same manner now proposed by the subject county ordinance. For corner lots, the City of Vero Beach LDRs treat all yards that are not front yards as side yards (see attachment #4). Comer lots in the City of Vero Beach have no rear yards, and driveways are allowed to come within 2' of any side yard on a corner lot. Thus, the city ordinance allows the same 2' driveway setback that would result from adoption of the proposed ordinance, and the city apparently has had no problem with the 2' setback. Likewise, the county has had no problems with 2' sideyard driveway setbacks for the years that allowance has been in place. March 14, 2000 • -49-P,� i.�C' A.�I rd t f51.i �. ., JI' I