Item 5: Public Hearing on Ordinance Establishing Chambers Special Area Zone

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\ ~ r ~ I I I I ilJ[J ! I J I I I J L-,- -_ ____ _ -.l_ __ __ _ __...: The house on the right and the house on the left have managed to situate their small side windows in such a way that privacy has not been an issue. This diagram shows how an addition to the left could orient it's windows to the backyard to avoid conflicting with the already existing neighbor's privacy. . PRIVACY Maintaining appropriate privacy for spaces within the neighborhood is essential to domestic life. If areas which one expects to be private are too exposed, they cease to be comfortable and usable to their owners. The interior of a house is the most private area on a property, and its privacy can be retained by locating view windows away from those of neighboring houses. The backyard is a semi- private area that also must be moderately protected from unwanted visual access. Privacy between two houses Locating the main house toward the front of a lot may result in houses directly next to each other. When houses on adjacent lots are located near each other, care should be given to place windows our of the direct line of vision of the neighboring house's windows. This applies to both the main houses at the front of the yard and accessory units located in the backyard. New infill housing should defer to the window placements of pre-existing neighboring homes. Privacy between houses and adjacent backyards One of the characteristics most enjoyed by the current residents of the ETN is the relatively undeveloped nature of backyards. When development to the rear of lots does occur, successful examples maintain the privacy between units by considering the placement of both the building and its windows. It's important to consider the semi-private nature of backyards. A house which is adjacent to a yard, instead of another house, may feel imposing to the neighboring yard. Houses which loom over and look down into a neighboring back yard should be avoided.