Board approves Fairfax Road addition and garage with rain‑barrel and no‑sleeping conditions

On Aug. 20 the Upper Arlington Board of Zoning and Planning approved a package of variances for 2209 Fairfax Road that together allow a two‑story rear addition, a covered patio and a larger two‑story detached garage with a storage loft.

Staff said the project required four modest variances driven primarily by replacing an undersized existing garage: building coverage would increase from 29% to about 29.3% (approximately 73 square feet over), development coverage from 50% to roughly 50.1% (about 54 square feet over), the detached garage would rise from the 17‑foot limit to about 19 feet 10 inches to accommodate loft storage, and detached garage square footage would increase to roughly 572 square feet. The applicant presented a reduced garage footprint (from the originally proposed 28x22 to 26x22) and agreed to mitigation including a rain barrel to address stormwater and to avoid sleeping quarters in the garage loft.

Board members noted the variations are marginal compared with neighboring properties and that the proposed design matches neighborhood character by using siding and matching rooflines. The motion passed with the conditions that the garage not include sleeping quarters and that the applicant install a rain barrel to help offset development coverage impacts.

Why it matters: the approval allows a homeowner to modernize and increase usable space while the board attached conditions aimed at limiting impacts to stormwater runoff and nearby properties.

Next steps: applicant to submit final, revised plans for building-permit review and to demonstrate the rain-barrel installation as part of permit conditions.