The Mount Vernon Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct. 1 approved multiple setback variances to allow construction of a single‑story laundromat at the site listed as 1 Riley Street (formerly 310 Newark Road), with one change requiring clarification of the property frontage designation.

The variances will allow a new 30‑by‑50 foot commercial structure to be located 10 feet from the front property line (instead of the 30 feet called for in the GB General Business zone) and 15 feet from the north interior property line where the standard interior side yard would total 20 feet when adjacent to residential zoning. The board recorded a unanimous vote in favor.

The decision matters locally because the site fronts a residential area: a single‑family home at 308 Newark Road is reported to encroach 5 feet over the shared lot line, and nearby residents raised concerns about pedestrian safety, traffic and nuisance impacts from the new business.

Board members considered the staff report prepared for the case, which identified the applicant parcels (parcel numbers included in the record) and described the redevelopment plan submitted by the property owner. The staff report noted that the property is zoned GB (General Business) and summarized applicable setback and screening standards: a 30‑foot front yard; a 15‑foot interior side yard plus an additional 5 feet where adjacent to residential (20 feet total); a 20‑foot exterior side yard; a 20‑foot rear yard; and a screening requirement where GB abuts R1A that typically calls for a 15‑foot‑wide buffer with a fence, wall or mound and specified plantings.

Proponent testimony came from Herb Yoder, who affirmed he was testifying truthfully and described plans to redevelop the site (the previous commercial building has been demolished). Yoder confirmed the applicants will construct the new building closer to the road than the former structure (the prior building sat about 16 feet back from the property line) to create room for required parking. He told the board the existing residential structure at 308 Newark Road and other irregular lot lines created challenges that informed the proposed siting.

Two nearby residents spoke during public comment. Dixie Davis, who said she lives at 400 Newark Road directly across from the site, told the board she has lived there 17 years and expressed safety concerns tied to pedestrian traffic, the lack of sidewalks and vehicle movements near the crosswalk used by schoolchildren and seniors. “I can foresee problems,” Davis said, citing worries about motorists backing out into Newark Road and about potential nighttime noise if the business operated late. Planning staff later told Davis that the redevelopment will require new compliant sidewalks on both the Newark Road and Riley Street frontages and that a building rendering and a parking plan were included in the submission.

Elizabeth Bonatti, who identified herself as the owner of 308 Newark Road, asked technical questions about the variances, including whether the request was from the lot line and how screening and venting for dryers would be handled. Staff said the variance request is measured from lot lines and noted the code requires screening between different land uses; staff also said the zoning enforcement officer had reviewed the proposed parking plan and is prepared to approve it should the variances be granted. The applicant said they will consider venting placement to avoid directing dryer vents toward the adjacent house.

During discussion, staff and board members clarified several technical points raised by neighbors and the board itself: the proposed parking stalls are standard size (10 by 19 feet); the redevelopment will require sidewalks in the public right of way; the applicant owns an adjacent vacated alley parcel (about 15 by 129 feet) that factors into site layout; and screening is required but the board would be granting a variance to reduce the buffer width from 15 feet. The board also agreed as part of the approval that the property’s public address/frontage designation should be clarified in municipal records (the parcel had been listed as 310 Newark Road before being designated 1 Riley Street), and the approval was recorded with that change specified.

The formal action recorded in the meeting minutes and roll call was approval of Case 2025BZA‑031 with the noted change about the Newark Road versus Riley Street designation. Roll call votes recorded “yes” from Board members identified in the record as Mister Percy, Mister O'Quinn, Mister Smith, Mister Adams and Missus Gant; no negative votes were recorded.

Next steps stated in the meeting record: the zoning enforcement officer will finalize review of the parking plan, the applicants must meet sidewalk installation requirements on the Newark Road and Riley Street frontages, and screening between the commercial use and adjacent residential properties must be provided though the width of that screening was approved at less than the standard 15 feet as part of the variance. Staff did not state a construction start date during the hearing. The board’s approval allows the redevelopment to proceed through the city’s permitting and zoning‑administration processes subject to those conditions.