Board approves front setback and removes parking requirement for Calvin Avenue warehouse; tables two side-yard variances

The Grand Rapids Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct. 11 approved a 23.1-foot variance to allow a proposed distribution warehouse at 2058 Calvin Avenue Southeast to be 1.9 feet from the Hazen Street front lot line and also approved the applicant’s request to eliminate the property’s parking requirement. The board tabled two additional side-yard setback requests to give the applicant time to work with staff.

The variances matter because the 4,000-square-foot parcel is smaller than the 10,000-square-foot minimum called for in the city’s zoning ordinance and sits at the edge of industrial uses adjacent to residences. Board members said the lot’s size, shape and dual frontages limit practical options for placing a building without relief from the code.

City planner Rowan (staff) told the panel the applicant seeks multiple dimensional variances: reducing the required 25-foot Hazen front setback to 1.9 feet, reducing a 25-foot side-yard setback adjacent…