The Galveston Zoning Board of Adjustment on Oct. 8 approved a variance that allows the parcel at 3201 Kleinman Avenue to be divided into two smaller lots, reducing the minimum lot depth and area required under the city's Land Development Regulations.

Planning staff told the board the applicant seeks to replat the existing parcel, which currently contains one house, into two lots. Staff said the regulations require 100 feet minimum lot depth and 5,000 square feet minimum lot area; the proposal would create lots with 70-foot depth and about 4,200 square feet area. The staff report noted 21 public notices were mailed and one opposition was received.

Applicant Kenneth Wadsworth said he and his wife, Germaine Wadsworth, want separate addresses to facilitate sale of one lot and to build a new, elevated one-story house on the other. He said the parcel is unusual because easements on three sides affect usable area and that, measured to easements, the combined property totals about 13,860 square feet.

During the hearing, board members asked whether the lot is legally nonconforming; staff initially used the term "legally nonconforming" but later acknowledged the parcel is currently conforming to depth requirements (approximately 140 feet) and that the staff report may contain an error. Commissioners emphasized the need to identify the special condition that justifies a variance. One commissioner said the lot’s size and shape make the property suitable for division and that adding a new house would benefit neighborhood infill and tax revenue; another commissioner voiced concern about allowing applicants to build before obtaining variances.

A motion to approve the variance cited the lot’s oversized and uniquely shaped condition and said strict enforcement would impose unnecessary hardship; the motion passed after discussion. Staff will follow up on the replat and any required permits.

The board also noted that planned homes would be elevated to meet neighborhood elevation patterns.