Higher Home Elevations Alter Entryway Setbacks

STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Borough Council had another discussion Feb. 5 of the proposed changes to its regulation of setback exceptions.
With a public hearing and vote on the ordinance amendments likely Feb. 19, the governing body had one last presentation by Paul Kates of Mott Associates LLC to ensure that questions and concerns were addressed.
The proposed changes to the setback exceptions have been making their way through deliberations with Stone Harbor’s Planning Board and the governing body for weeks. The issue giving rise to the proposed amendments is the increasing elevations required to protect against flooding. The higher elevations put a strain on the long-standing setback and landing requirements causing architects to devise ever more creative solutions to entryways.
Under setback exceptions, the current ordinance states that for homes elevated at or above base flood elevation, stairs or steps leading to an entrance landing are permitted in yard areas provided that the stairs be located less than 3.5 feet from a property line and the landing be limited to no more than 5 feet by 5 feet. As that base flood elevation increases, the regulations produced unintended difficulties which the amendments seek to resolve.
The proposed changes would allow the stairs inside the setback and to within five feet of the property line without the 5-by-5 restriction on the entrance landing. No landings will be permitted inside the setback itself. Stairs that encroach on the setback will be limited to 25 percent of the building frontage.
Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour said that the changes would help restore a seashore feel in the borough with porches that invite the interaction of neighbors. With the changes, stairs that encroach on the setback within permissible ranges no longer must lead to small and overly confined entrance landings.
Council member Raymond Parzych said the more substantial encroachment would decrease the need to “push the house back from the front property line,” preserving backyard space.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.