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Zoning board grants driveway-width variance for 121 North Clinton Street
Summary
The City of Poughkeepsie Zoning Board of Appeals granted an area variance allowing a driveway 9–13 feet wide for a proposed two-family at 121 North Clinton Street, finding the five-factor test weighed in the applicant's favor.
The Poughkeepsie Zoning Board of Appeals on Oct. 14 voted to grant area variances allowing a driveway between 9 and 13 feet wide for a proposed two-family dwelling at 121 North Clinton Street.
The board’s written resolution said the application, submitted by Julio Criollo and represented at the hearing by Steve Burnaby of Mizzarelli Architecture and Planning, sought relief from two code sections that require a 15-foot driveway. The resolution found the five statutory factors for area variances weighed in favor of the applicant and concluded the requested variance was not substantial and would not adversely affect the neighborhood.
The project proposes a new two-family house on a currently vacant lot, with a footprint the applicant described as about 58 feet deep by 26 feet wide. The applicant told the board the lot geometry and reasonable dwelling dimensions make the 15-foot driveway requirement infeasible without reducing unit quality or the size of the residence.
The board’s resolution cites the application materials, a site plan dated Aug. 18, 2025, and classifies the project as a Type II action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, requiring no further environmental review. The resolution notes staff support and that the particular driveway-width restriction was an unintended consequence of a prior ordinance change.
Board members moved and seconded the motion to grant the variances and voted in favor; the motion carried.
The decision authorizes variances from the cited provisions of the City of Poughkeepsie zoning code to permit a driveway 9–13 feet in width to serve four off-street parking spaces for the proposed two-family dwelling at 121 North Clinton Street. The board’s written finding acknowledges the need for the variance may be partly self-created but did not find that factor dispositive.
The applicant may now proceed with building permit steps consistent with the variance and applicable building and fire code requirements.
Votes at the meeting were recorded as a majority in favor with the motion carrying.
