The zoning board of appeals may recommend to the city council variations of the regulations of this chapter in harmony with their general purpose and intent, only in the specific instances set forth in § 153.203, where the board makes a finding of fact based upon the standards prescribed in § 153.202, that there are practical difficulties or particular hardships in the way of carrying out the strict letter of the regulations of this chapter.
('69 Code, App. A, § 10.5-1)