[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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",[32,76],{"_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":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6488714,"mediaKeyId","5602124-9ebb8019db09601b1015c7cbd3f22971","parentId",5602124,"title","Bellbrook board approves variance for 25½-foot landscape steps at 3868 West Franklin Street","audioSeconds",918,"startMs",1700000,"endMs",2618000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5602124-9ebb8019db09601b1015c7cbd3f22971&start=1700&end=2618","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5602124-9ebb8019db09601b1015c7cbd3f22971/thumbnail_1700000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6488714/Ohio/Bellbrook-board-approves-variance-for-25-foot-landscape-steps-at-3868-West-Franklin-Street","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6488714-6daa972e4bb5cc6897c08991631bb142/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138660&Signature=hbUrQvRgIp3btLuzLwmN9tuNEK0lVR2sqlpXTuXMT1voHbnBJcUJ4sgAaUXdNmHkDAOERaGVfWkiPj~s403lyGnjjoCqfhqOznmtpNaCyH~D0sldSXr96GIQ6AHEZBxG7~xpuK~Mo4htEuGDFeSLHzsDR6dJXZldqoOsTlC1cB3qSlTtZCb-tkjbgc2BcBlPj5kimqfO-q75-wcCi9epDgRzfnlAU-WR5rYO0STqq8xt6c5jahOdb1hL8K31GEUrktA~l5i0aD3r9wIZsW9K1bKHmHuDcrbOBpG7~2WKkQiyTWkqgI8pjIQaM7d-o6QjeHhbiL6Ri1nopT1aUBlqUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Bellbrook","date","2025-08-19T00:00:00Z","article","On Aug. 19, 2025, the City of Bellbrook Board of Zoning Appeals and Property Review Commission approved a variance to Zoning Code section 18.11 that allows concrete landscape steps extending from the existing driveway at 3868 West Franklin Street to exceed the ordinary 10-foot maximum projection for porches and steps.

Property owners Pat and Sylvia Shevyak presented the application, describing the parcel’s steep driveway slope and narrow frontage as safety and accessibility concerns. Pat Shevyak told the board the proposed run of steps would be about 25½ feet long, 36 inches wide and 18 inches deep per step; he said the design aims to make the entry less treacherous in winter and to blend with the neighborhood’s covenants.

The Shevyaks said they had engaged a contractor with previous work in the area and had surveyed their lot; the homeowners told the board the subdivision’s original street and drainage layout contributed to the practical problem they seek to address. The applicant also said the front porch currently has a 22-inch drop to grade and lacks a railing because it falls short of the 24-inch threshold that would have required a railing under code.

Board members and the applicant discussed whether adding a railing would be necessary for safety or would trigger an additional variance. The applicants said railing was under consideration but that they were seeking the stairs as a “90% solution” — a substantial safety and aesthetic improvement short of additional structural work that could require another variance.

A motion to approve the variance (BZA25-03) carried unanimously. The vote recorded all board members voting yes. The board noted the applicants had checked with their homeowners association and planned to relocate an existing lamppost to align with neighborhood covenants; the applicants also said they intend to replace the aging lamppost with a new unit.

The board did not add additional written conditions to the motion as recorded in the meeting transcript. The variance allows the homeowners to proceed with construction consistent with the plans described at the hearing; any future structural changes such as adding a railing may require separate review if they would be considered a structure under the zoning code.

The meeting closed after both variance requests were decided.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Bellbrook - August 19, 2025 Board of Zoning Appeals/Property Review Commission Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Board approved a variance Aug. 19 to Zoning Code section 18.11 allowing homeowners at 3868 West Franklin Street to construct concrete landscape steps that extend 25½ feet from the driveway to the curb, exceeding the 10-foot projection normally permitted for porches and steps.","taxTitle","Bellbrook City Council, Bellbrook, Greene County, Ohio","taxId",72802,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":44,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6488719,"Bellbrook board approves variance to allow outward-facing fence posts on west side of 2214 Tampico Trail",1558,142000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5602124-9ebb8019db09601b1015c7cbd3f22971&start=142&end=1700","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5602124-9ebb8019db09601b1015c7cbd3f22971/thumbnail_142000.jpg","/articles/6488719/Ohio/Bellbrook-board-approves-variance-to-allow-outward-facing-fence-posts-on-west-side-of-2214-Tampico-Trail","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6488719-9d37364235e8c8cb7fb5e0cc90ab9262/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138660&Signature=Xb8qwpqdrsPbL3w2-Vu4VQDLO5olvGO2s9j1eGFZymjgi6OqdO5glinWp0J8TcxVOkkeSQBFGGa8UNx2J~nZrL~gjxpuzDG69L2Ay-8C3k7uQQ05iHYcaVsed42bNz1YTBDU2tO0cXDqwqHPg2zIZ-tUXutqgBN3bYZRuuS-ROwXzFdLB3wIJ83gWtfI1lXQaCoNnGUTsmFJFvK~hnbozLwlBUkaa6NrhaDjTs3n~enpnk8alrtFNHtHR3UnhYxOQepRBNM1AxS91SBWxQ0SQrexLxgr124EbRBTW3yBLIYTWebeycmi9itXUVRzY1U2Fv9a6o~Ffz8dKvZZpu6Dzw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","On Aug. 19, 2025, the City of Bellbrook Board of Zoning Appeals and Property Review Commission approved a variance to Zoning Code section 18.061A allowing the replacement privacy fence at 2214 Tampico Trail to have supporting posts facing the exterior of the lot on the west side only.

The variance request was filed by Denise Tanka, the property owner at 2214 Tampico Trail. A staff report explained contractors who inspected the property said they could not install replacement posts from the interior side because an existing chain-link fence on the adjacent property at 2210 Tampico Trail encroaches over the property line and prevents safe, warranty-backed installation.

The staff report said the existing privacy fence on 2214 is set about 4 inches inside the property line; contractors told the owner they could not construct or guarantee a replacement without placing posts so the finished face of the fence could be uniform along the west run. The report and the applicant said the requested change would only apply to the west side run; the rest of the replacement would comply with zoning requirements.

Neighbor Bonnie Campbell of 2218 Tampico Trail spoke during public comment and asked whether the switch in facing would affect yard maintenance or how the area between the fences would look from the street. Denise Tanka described contractors’ repeated assessments: “All 4 have told me there is no way to that that could have been constructed through that fence,” and said the current cedar fence is about 17 years old and has experienced partial failures.

Board members discussed alternatives, including asking the applicant to request that the owner of 2210 roll back or remove the chain-link mesh, and noted there was no written objection from the adjacent property owner in the meeting record. One board member said the chain-link encroachment appeared to be on 2210’s fence line and that removing it could be more disruptive to that neighbor.

A motion to approve the variance (BZA 25-02) carried with a 4–1 vote: Mister Bridal voted no; Missus Breininger, Mister O'Grod, Missus Schroeder and Miss Taylor voted yes. The board asked staff to add a clarifying point to the approval noting the change applied only to the west side run of the replacement fence.

The board’s written decision will record the variance as limited to support posts facing the exterior on the west side of 2214 Tampico Trail and include the clarifying language discussed during the meeting. No additional conditions, such as required outreach to the neighboring property owner, were specified in the motion or the vote record.

Background and context: the applicant said the original installation involved contractor work around the chain-link mesh and that the existing fence’s age and prior partial failures prompted the replacement request. The transcript indicates the adjacent property’s fence has traversed in and out across the property line for many years and appears to enclose the neighbor’s backyard, which the applicant and board members cited as part of the practical installation constraint.

The board adjourned after completing the two variances on the Aug. 19 agenda.","The Bellbrook Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance Aug. 19 to allow a property owner at 2214 Tampico Trail to install replacement privacy fence posts facing the exterior of the lot along the west side, citing installation constraints caused by an existing chain-link fence on the neighboring property.","actionData","errors"]

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Bellbrook board approves variance for 25½-foot landscape steps at 3868 West Franklin Street

Bellbrook board approves variance to allow outward-facing fence posts on west side of 2214 Tampico Trail