[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6296490,"mediaKeyId","2514939-9d8abea94a86b5c965b437a1e3c1f55f","parentId",2514939,"title","Zoning board denies variances for new house and ADU at 3109 E. Gonzales Street after neighborhood debate","audioSeconds",2152,"startMs",1190000,"endMs",3342000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2514939-9d8abea94a86b5c965b437a1e3c1f55f&start=1190&end=3342","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2514939-9d8abea94a86b5c965b437a1e3c1f55f/thumbnail_1190000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6296490/Pensacola/Escambia-County/Florida/Zoning-board-denies-variances-for-new-house-and-ADU-at-3109-E-Gonzales-Street-after-neighborhood-debate","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296490-86e2b010939babc6d9f78c99542ba43d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770762417&Signature=dHxz9lZ7v8JIXEhf19JdykTJQvuzqJ3lWNXkNuHK54bkXM2f6SpCkfQ-sABDpd9Gf9W1ti13QIfG~rQbsTe8dDYf~6QkZzCjfcnVmYheK43mkXh5jclByePMQWezKGEKCCViw13aOtDSKseVfA79vqVEP1TrcHMz-Pu57j~TORmRo6iYuOSGMVvrepkhp9TqpH9Ev8ZHu6yi1dJAWYM0kT6TLVLFWpgOMvTWUodoT7eVJnW41CZghkVgLukyEpaX-3Pm2bC93HIELTVH6sB7xRNV1hhWO1JvnvMW0-gA~2LYbNqnaIvVn627poAR3BhvcAEu0ydXCNQRLV9Gwva8DA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Pensacola, FL ","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","The Pensacola Zoning Board of Adjustments voted 7–1 to deny a set of variances requested to build a new single‑family home and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at 3109 East Gonzales Street.

Applicant Pat Lyons sought multiple variances to accommodate a new house and ADU on a lot in an R1‑Double‑A zoning district: a front-yard setback reduction from 30 feet to 18 feet, an increase in rear‑yard coverage from 25 percent to 48.3 percent, and an increase in living‑space depth from 60 feet to 70.7 feet. (A second side‑yard variance was later shown by staff to be resolved in an amended site plan; the applicant asked the board to treat the requests as an aggregate package.)

Lyons told the board he purchased and then demolished a severely termite‑damaged house and designed a replacement “similar” to the original; he said he expected the new build to sit in the same footprint. Lyons argued the proposed arrangement — including an ADU accessed from the rear greenway — is consistent with existing neighborhood typologies and with other properties that have dwellings close to the rear alley.

Neighbors and nearby residents disputed that comparison. Dwayne Tant, who lives at 3101 East Gonzales Street, told the board many nearby properties are on wider original lots (100‑foot frontage) while Lyons’s parcel is two original lots combined with 50‑foot frontage, and that the block’s historic pattern was modest houses with workshops or garages on the greenway rather than large footprints. Tant also raised environmental and canopy‑cover concerns, saying the applicant had already removed mature trees and urging stewardship of the “Richard Jernigan Greenway.”

Supporters including Tripp Hale argued the lot geometry creates a hardship: Hale said the narrow lot and fixed 30‑foot setback limit where a functional ADU can be placed and that the applicant’s proposal preserves backyard green space ratioally while producing a usable ADU.

Board members discussed broader policy problems — including front‑yard averaging, the role of greenways versus alleys, and whether code revisions would address these design conflicts — and wrestled with whether the applicant had demonstrated a hardship under the variance criteria. One member summarized the tension by saying that the applicant’s stated reason amounted to wanting a larger project, and “want is not a need or a hardship.” Another member said the request illustrated where the city’s land‑development code produces difficult results.

After motion and second to approve the aggregate request, the board voted; the motion failed, 7–1. The transcript records the tally but does not identify the individual yes/no votes by name.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Pensacola Zoning Board of Adjustments Meeting - February 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Zoning Board rejected a package of variances for a new single‑family house and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at 3109 East Gonzales Street by a 7–1 vote after neighbors and board members debated lot geometry, neighborhood character and greenway use.","taxTitle","Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida","taxId",56151,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":44,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6296495,"Board unanimously approves addition variance for historic home at 1701 E. Gadsden Street",545,645000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2514939-9d8abea94a86b5c965b437a1e3c1f55f&start=645&end=1190","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2514939-9d8abea94a86b5c965b437a1e3c1f55f/thumbnail_645000.jpg","/articles/6296495/Pensacola/Escambia-County/Florida/Board-unanimously-approves-addition-variance-for-historic-home-at-1701-E-Gadsden-Street","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296495-a6f13580f02f0e0db670755e5ae7110b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770762417&Signature=D04R2E3jdp5O2De24AH2n2je8Nn6tHuFMT0tBIIIjnDFvG34dK6Rjn8eAeQsr8MutEOht3NH8~nGDMitTDUlv~S2BtTjTH1owybcp6NOUayCT5QrYhmKZSVU5BysaWHw3YJXWrGBhxnNSyzPAYsW70yebuWxQtV7uNF6VpPyBgIrLL8mlfFp4IobqZzhI3gl70cmU5k7WPn7xA7ksOtGtYsOCYdCg~svWvVHKKjb9eJoaAgsCBhTKbv6oNNYFjNCk1Y4Ens8tJmuBW5eSUoITrCvRTJDeVRSccCaY50GUQyC61wOHEp-KIG-xJvGA1FX2vCODWWGDf1MlY5TONpkOw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Pensacola Zoning Board of Adjustments unanimously approved a variance allowing a corner side-yard reduction from 15 feet to 8.9 feet to permit an addition to a historic single-family house at 1701 East Gadsden Street.

Applicant Raymond Port said he and his family have lived in the house for about 15 years and are restoring the more-than-100-year-old home. He told the board the proposed one-story addition would house a master bedroom and bathroom and expand the kitchen so the home no longer relies on a single shared hall bathroom for six residents. Port said the addition would align with an existing bay window so it appears original to the house.

Port described site work he has already completed, including removing aluminum siding to reveal and repair original wood siding and installing a French drain to address prior grading-related runoff. He told the board the proposed one-story addition would extend roughly 20 feet off the rear and terminate before a neighboring persimmon tree; he estimated about 45 feet to the rear property line and said the porch already projects beyond that line.

Board discussion noted the applicant sought the “minimum” change needed to achieve the design and that proposed materials will match existing siding. One member said the addition “looks fitting to the original architecture,” and another described the applicant’s work preserving original siding and roof details.

After a motion and an unnamed second, the board voted unanimously to grant the variance for ZBA2025-002. The transcript does not record the names of members who moved or seconded the motion.","The Zoning Board approved a variance to reduce the corner side yard from 15 feet to 8.9 feet for an addition on a historic house at 1701 East Gadsden Street; the board described the proposal as sympathetic to the home's historic character.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6296499,"Zoning board grants variance for larger metal garage at 1622 E. Marino Street",484,160000,644000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2514939-9d8abea94a86b5c965b437a1e3c1f55f&start=160&end=644","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2514939-9d8abea94a86b5c965b437a1e3c1f55f/thumbnail_160000.jpg","/articles/6296499/Pensacola/Escambia-County/Florida/Zoning-board-grants-variance-for-larger-metal-garage-at-1622-E-Marino-Street","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296499-ab96c54897cc688e3f05733028b13dd3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770762417&Signature=VbB-82GDbMhSum5OGpLlapwcx7CtAYwt4Dwax1pERfg-Mqn7wbmhJ70jN23O0i5A7RJShJaxXwgJzs4yAjgvPShy~f63B2v947Z8ghwxUTp~h6ZcnFSVcasF6OG5dBd3mFYezZS1M-ohDwNRH74pnLdTnzjo0xdrEW--eHGL6uqlBYI3uEP2wReDelpy7dDAd78-DvxhvetUeK0Pe~bRVGAwUWN800rT9mt1Kpb25XYHjAjiXufQEj-DZa7fbdbF2ezzB1ZEQXKt-PqOLPt2NrmoSVDQHOaXuywim5OJicWc2sDhq-uCzWfyf7deGSubh0Y4AQwLoa2ICoyHQDGyeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Pensacola Zoning Board of Adjustments on an undisclosed date granted a variance allowing a homeowner at 1622 East Marino Street to increase rear-yard coverage from 25 percent (351 square feet) to 35 percent (484 square feet) so the owner can replace a small existing garage with a wider metal two-car garage.

The variance was requested to provide better vehicle access and additional privacy; the board approved the request by a 7–1 vote. The board’s rules require five favorable votes for a variance to be granted.

Applicant Mark told the board he moved to Pensacola recently and that the existing garage was overgrown and difficult to use. He said replacing the structure “would allow me to put a wider structure… and get an actual, wider 2 car garage door and be able to place both vehicles in the garage and then… close it up for privacy reasons.” He also said he works for the federal government and has suppression protections tied to his address, which factored into his privacy concerns.

Board members asked about site details. One member noted the side setback and reminded the applicant that side yards must meet the code’s three-foot minimum; Mark said the existing structure sits at about 2.9 feet and that it is grandfathered. The applicant confirmed the new garage would be the same height as the existing building, under 14 feet. Staff said there were no audience speakers in opposition, and no drainage problems were reported at the site.

During discussion a board member said the requested expansion appeared to be the smallest change needed to meet the applicant’s goals, describing it as “probably asking for the absolute minimum for that size garage” to address maneuverability. After a motion and an unnamed second, the board voted to grant the variance 7–1.

The board recorded the action as an approval of the variance request for ZBA2024-001. The motion and second were entered on the record but the transcript did not identify the individual members who moved or seconded the motion. The legal threshold of five favorable votes was met.","The Pensacola Zoning Board of Adjustments voted 7–1 to grant a variance allowing a homeowner at 1622 East Marino Street to increase rear-yard coverage from 25% to 35% to build a wider metal two-car garage.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Zoning board denies variances for new house and ADU at 3109 E. Gonzales Street after neighborhood debate

Board unanimously approves addition variance for historic home at 1701 E. Gadsden Street

Zoning board grants variance for larger metal garage at 1622 E. Marino Street