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CITY OF PARIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Appendix C- Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Text Amendments b. Conserve natural resources and amenities including prime agricultural land; c. Minimize any adverse flood impact; d. Ensure that proposed structures are located on suitable soils; e. Minimize any adverse environmental impact; and f. Minimize any present or future cost to the City and private providers of utilities to provide adequately for public utility services to the site. Appeals and Variances The Board of Zoning Adjustment has the important task of interpreting the Zoning Ordinance in situations where the language of the ordinance is alleged to be ambiguous, the specifics of the case are unusual enough to warrant special consideration, or an appeal is made. Thus, the decisions made by the Board of Zoning Adjustment must be carefully thought out and clearly stated in order to safeguard the integrity and purpose of the Zoning Ordinance. In deciding an appeal, the Board of Zonins, Adjustment must interpret sections of the Zoning Ordinance, as well as preserve the intent and consistency of the regulations. The specifics of the applicant's situation are largely irrelevant, since the ruling of the Board of Zoning Adjustment will affect not only the case at hand, but will also set precedent, and so will affect each subsequent use of that section of the Zoning Ordinance. The granting of a variance requires a very careful examination of the applicant's situation. Although the Board of Zoning Adjustment should be careful to avoid setting any unintentional precedents, the variance process requires a case-by-case approach. Before a variance can be granted, facts must be presented supporting the standards set forth in the Paris Zoning Ordinance. These conditions require the existence of practical difficulties or unnecessary hardship, and that any variance granted be consistent with the intent of the regulations, the general welfare of the community, and the rights of adjacent property owners. Grounds for a variance are: _ l. By reason of exceptional nanowness, shallowness, or shape of the specific piece of property at the time of the enactment of the zoning regulations; 2. By reason of exceptional topographic conditions; or 3. By other extraordinary and exceptional situations or conditions of a piece of property. In considering each variance application, the Board of Zoning Adjustment shall not grant a variance unless it finds that facts conclusively support all of the following findings: 1. Uniqueness: The variance requested arises from conditions which are unique to the property in question, which are not ordinarily found in the same zoning S:\98288\WP(.lfina1 rcpurt Z-Ol.ax 94 BWR