The Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals Division 2 met and considered both expedited and regular-docket petitions. The board recorded votes on multiple variances and one use variance; the following is a concise, item-by-item summary of recorded outcomes, as reflected in the hearing record.

Votes at a glance

- Case 2025-SE2-002 (8540 and 8520 Michigan Road; Pike Township; special exception to allow a flooring contractor/commercial contractor use). Vote: 5-0 to grant (Patrice Duckett Brown, James Duke, Craig Von Dalen, Tom Barnes, Beth Brandon all voted yes). Staff: expedited docket; no opposition recorded.

- Case 2025-DV2-034 (5420 Rockhampton Court; Pike Township; variance to allow reduced side/rear setbacks for an accessory building). Vote: 5-0 to grant. Staff: expedited docket; no opposition recorded.

- Case 2025-DV2-036 (5458 East 80 Second Street; Washington Township; variance for an additional drive-through sign). Vote: 5-0 to grant. Staff: expedited docket; no opposition recorded.

- Case 2025-DV2-037, amended (65 East Regent Street; Center Township; variance to allow conversion/addition to create a two-family dwelling on a substandard lot). Vote: 5-0 to grant. Staff noted the waiver request for late notice and recommended approval of waiver; case was on expedited docket.

- Case 2025-DV2-016 (1507, 1501 and 1533 West New York Street; Center Township; variance to allow 27% living material in front yard). Vote: 4-1 to grant (Patrice Duckett Brown voted no). Staff recommended approval based on lot shape and topography; neighbors remonstrated. See separate coverage for this case.

- Case 2025-DV2-028 (415 South Oxford Street; Center Township; variance for a detached garage northern side-yard setback). Vote: 4-1 to grant (Tom Barnes voted no). Staff recommended denial citing precedent and lack of practical difficulty because the site could meet standards through proper permitting; petitioner said permits had been attempted in 2022 and that the garage had been constructed in reliance on a contractor and inspections for the house.

- Case 2025-DV2-040 (6115 North Park Avenue; variance to allow an attached garage with a 0-foot north side-yard setback on a nonconforming lot). Vote: 5-0 to grant. Staff recommended denial, noting the proposed two-story addition would be taller/longer than the existing legally nonconforming accessory structure and could overwhelm the adjacent property; the petitioner and the neighbor provided letters of support and the petitioner said the footprint is not extended beyond the existing garage.

- Case 2025-UV2-012 (2405 West 61st Street; Washington Township; variance of use to allow a commercial shipping container on a residential property). Vote: 5-0 to grant, subject to a recorded commitment that the container will be removed after a limited interval. Petitioners agreed on the record to a multi-year time limit (the petitioner indicated willingness to commit to roughly a four-year removal period) as part of the approval. Staff recommended denial citing the prohibition on commercial vehicles and concerns about precedent; board accepted the time-limited commitment as a condition of approval.

Procedural notes and staff positions

- Several continuity/waiver requests for late notice were granted during the special-requests portion of the meeting after staff acknowledged delays in distributing notice materials.

- Staff expressed consistent concerns where structures were built or placed without prior permits; in at least two cases staff recommended denial on precedent/codes grounds, but the board nevertheless granted variances after hearing petitioner testimony and neighbor letters of support in some instances.

How to find case materials

Case files, staff reports and the recorded findings of fact referenced at the hearing are part of the public record; attendees used the board's packet materials (tabs indicated during hearings) and formal findings were adopted for expedited petitions.

Ending

The meeting concluded after the board recorded votes on the regular docket and the secretary noted findings to be finalized. Parties were advised of filing rights for judicial review under the board's procedures.