A variance is a mechanism by which the city may grant relief from the provisions of the zoning code where practical difficulty renders compliance with the provisions of the code an unnecessary hardship, where the hardship is a result of the physical characteristics of the subject property and where the purpose of the code and of the comprehensive plan can be fulfilled upon granting of the variance. (Ord. 2441 § 9, 2003; Ord. 2020 § 13, 1994)