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Application Wilcox / Zeldin History of 26 Forest Road, Assembly Point Prepared April 13, 2012 The subject property is situated at 26 Forest Road on Assembly Point in the Shore Colony Town of Queensbury. The parcel is approximately 188 feet wide by 100 feetdeep and is comprised of two-and- a-half of the original subdivision lots (75 by 100 foot), as laid out in a 1957 surveyofShore Colony. We purchased this property in 1992 after ten years of renting ot eventually replace the camp with a year-round home and make it our retirement residence. We enjoyed seasonal use of the camp until February 17, 2006 when a wild winter storm packing winds o 80 mph tore through the Lake George region, ripping branches fro leaving thousands without power, and many with damaged roofs, porches and homes. Few, however, su the damage that we incurred. Two trees from our backyard neighbo it beyond repair. All that remained on the property was a 440 suare foot auxiliary structure (carport and storage sheds), an unused well, and a sub-standard septic system. That catastrophe had altered our time plan to build the retireme and were not prepared to undertake a building project of that magnitude. So, as an interim measu to continue to enjoy use our property we purchased a small trail, and with the permission of the town placed it on our lot in the spring of 2006. At the end of June after four weekends in the camper, a second thunderstorm ripped through t uprooting yet another tree from the neighbors lot, crushing the camper and tearing a hole in the bedroom wall, making it uninhabitable. Page 1 Wilcox / Zeldin History of 26 Forest Road, Assembly Point Prepared April 13, 2012 Even before the wreck of the trailer, we had begun working with Northern Design in the spring of 2006 to see what we could realistically build given our finances and retirem interim step so we could still use our property in the summer anirst phase of our retirement home. We designed a carriage house (a garage with a small apartment above it) to serve as our camp until we were closer to retirement. In the initial site plan, we had drawn ou built but also the outline of the two-bedroom retirement home we planned for phase 2. First we addressed the waste water septic system. In April 2006 we obtained a permit to upgrade the system to current standards. It was designed to support both a seasonal residence initially and ultimately the year-round home that we planned to add in 2012. Because the final building plans were not settled and the eventual size of the retirement residence was uncertain, we over-designed the system for our anticipated need. The Elgin brand Page 2 Wilcox / Zeldin History of 26 Forest Road, Assembly Point Prepared April 13, 2012 system was sized to support a four bedroom home, which was larger than we expected to build, but seemed a prudent decision. In December 2006 we received a permit to construct the a carriage house, phase 1 of the building plan. That structure would be our seasonal camp until phase 2, our retireme completed the structure and septic system,and received a certificate of occupancy. Our intention from the beginning has been to build the retirement home within zoning requirements and request no variances. We began by situating the septic system in the only location on the would meet setback requirements from residences, others wells anes. That location was within about 80 feet of our unused well. We could have requested,and perhaps received, a variance to reactivate that well, but elected to not do so. Rather, as part of the septic permit application we identified a location where a replacement well could be drilled. On that septic permit applicationwe specified theapproximate size and location of the planned final building, to be built within the zoningsetback locations. The zoning front and rear setbackrequirements in 2006 were 30 and 25 feet, respectively, leaving 45 feet of buildable space onthat depth to reduce the widthof the final structure. The phase 1 property improvements include 800 square feet of living space in a 24 by 32 foot primary structure (a two-story carriage house), and an updated septic system sized to support a four bedroom residen. The first floor is a 24 by 24 foottwo car garage with a 140 square foot laundry/utility room. The second floor is a 750 square foot, one bedroom seasonal camp with a 200square foot screened porch. We retained the original accessory building. The next year in 2008 we returned to Northern Design with our preliminary ideas for the retirement home. The goal was to build a residence in which we could live for many years, even if one of us became infirm. We need only two bedrooms but ADA-type access continued to be a top priority: doorways would be 36 living space would be on one floor, a shower stall would have roll-in capability, and the basement storage area must be at ground level for walk-out access. Page 3 Wilcox / Zeldin History of 26 Forest Road, Assembly Point Prepared April 13, 2012 We designed the new home to attach to the carriage house. It would be a traditional home with a two car garage with bonus living space above it. In order to have the walk-out basement, the house became a split-level type design with the living space half way between the carriage s. In anticipation of future restricted mobility, we planned for an elevator to meet that need. The design was a modest two- bedroom addition which when added to the existing second floor t,500 square feet of living space. That design gave less than a 20% floor area ratio, well under the zoning requirements. The plan requirements were set and we had a fairly good idea of the floor plan. Then in 2009, the zoning rules changed. The rearyardsetback increased from 25 feet to 30 feet. The floor area ratio calculation changed to include all the non-living storage space. We went back to the drawing board but realized the zoning changes were so significant that it was likely we would need an area variance. The house, including a back yard porch, could be no deeper th from 45 feet maximum. The house needed to become a bit widerto fit the same rooms and uses. Aesthetically, it might have looked better with the original layout, but we adjusted any Then we recalculated the FAR. Cellar storage space over five feet high was now included. The design far exceeded the FAR ratio in the new zoning rules. We looked for ways to reduce the FAR, but it was impossible to reach the 22% maximum with the new definitions and to retain any usable storage space in the design We expected to remove the existing accessory building which we used for storage. The walk-out basement was planned for our onlystoragearea. As with many active families, we have gardening tools, bicycles, non- motorized watercraft, seasonal furniture, utility and small boat trailers, seasonal decorations, and many of the other recreational accoutrements common in a resort area that ne The planned basement would have allowed us to have a place for everything without hav we age, access to stored items needs to be unencumbered. We needed the space. We realized the revised zoning rules presented significant barri obtain advice and direction, in mid-2011 we met with the Town zoning administrator for help defining the zoning issues associated with our plan. Subsequently, we adjusted the size of some rooms, rearranged other spaces, reduced the size of the basement in the FAR calculation byincorporating a significant crawl space, and reassigned a major portion of the basement storage to a less hospitable garage space. Even with those efforts we were unable to meet the revised zoninWe continued to explore alternatives. We even approached neighbors with vacant landto inquire if we might purchase it to increase the lot size and mitigate the FAR issue. None were willing to sell. In summary, the future year-round home concept as presented in the 2006 septic permit applic- story, two-bedroom residence with a full walk-out basement and screened porch. At that time, the planned addition met all building area and use requirements and would ha however, we find no alternative but to request relief. We have amount of storage space, and adjusted the design without being able to meet all the zoning rules. Much to our disappointment, we must therefore request relief. Page 4