Stow BZA approves variances to allow side-yard pool and reduced deck setback at 3121 Preakness Drive

The Stow Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance application for 3121 Preakness Drive that will allow a recessed above‑ground pool to be located in the side yard and a five‑foot reduction of the required side‑yard setback for a deck.

The variances were approved in a roll‑call vote, with four board members voting yes. The board considered a revised site plan submitted by the applicants that removed previously requested variances and reduced the scope of relief needed.

Applicants David Watkins and Judy Watkins told the board the property’s lot configuration leaves minimal backyard space and pushed usable yard area toward the side yard. “We’re asking for the variance because we have minimal backyard,” said David Watkins, identified at the hearing as the property owner. The applicants provided revised drawings and photos showing a smaller deck and a pool location moved to increase setback distances from neighbors and a nearby golf cart path.

According to staff presentation, the revised site plan shows the deck will now be 10 feet from the side yard line; the board therefore approved a five‑foot variance for the deck side‑yard setback. The presentation also stated the rear setback requirement (45 feet) will be met by the revised plan. Staff described the pool as an above‑ground unit that will be partially recessed into the grade — in some places about 6 inches buried and elsewhere approximately 2 feet down — so that the pool’s top will typically be about 4 feet above adjacent ground. The applicants said the deck railing combined with the pool elevation could reach roughly 7 feet above ground at one point.

Board members asked about neighbor outreach and fencing. Staff confirmed neighbors had been solicited and no objections had been received before the meeting. The applicants said the decking will use railing that meets code and that the deck will be elevated more than 4 feet above grade in places.

After discussion, a motion to approve variance application BZA 25‑27 as revised by the applicant, with no conditions, carried. The chair advised the applicants to obtain building permits from the Stow building department before starting work.

Details from the record: property in Pamby Farms development; the proposed pool will sit adjacent to a golf cart path and a common area identified in materials as Rose’s Run; the deck setback was revised to 10 feet, creating a 5‑foot variance request.