(a) Board May Authorize Variance. Upon appeal and after public notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the City and after hearing, and subject to appropriate safeguards and conditions for the protection of public and of neighboring properties, the Board of Zoning Appeals may vary the strict application of any of the requirements of this Zoning Ordinance, provided that such variance shall be in the case of exceptionally irregular, narrow, shallow or steep lots, or other exceptional physical conditions, whereby such strict application would result in practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship that would deprive the owner of the reasonable use of the land or building involved, but in no other case.
(b) Purpose of Variance. The sole purpose of any variance shall be to prevent discrimination, and no variance shall be granted which would have the effect of granting a special privilege not shared by other property in the same vicinity and zone.
(c) Required Showing for Variances. No variance in the strict application of any provision of this Ordinance shall be granted by the Board unless it finds the following:
(1) That there are special circumstances or conditions, fully described in the findings, applying to the land or buildings that do not apply generally to land or buildings in the neighborhood.
(2) That the circumstance or conditions are such that the strict application of the provisions of this Ordinance would deprive the applicant of the reasonable use of such land or building.
(3) That for reasons fully set forth in the findings, the granting of the variance is necessary for the reasonable use of the land or building and that the variance as granted by the Board, is the minimum variance that will accomplish this purpose.
(4) That the granting of such variance will not be materially detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to the property or improvements in such vicinity and district in which the property is located. (5-16-67)