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Owner told to provide survey after city questions circular driveway and backyard woodshed; case continued to September
Summary
City staff and the hearing officer reviewed aerial imagery, permit history and setbacks for a property near Silvermine Golf Course with an unpermitted circular driveway and a new woodshed; staff will search archival files and the owner must supply a survey before the case returns to hearing in September.
A zoning matter involving an unpermitted rear storage structure and a circular driveway near Silvermine Golf Course was continued to September after staff and the hearing officer said the file lacked a reliable survey and the permit records were unclear.
Staff said the property had a 2021 repaving permit that included only part of the driveway layout; the circular ‘‘hammerhead’’ portion did not appear on the 2021 application. Staff reviewed historical aerial imagery and Google Street View showing a circular drive that precedes the 2021 permit, including imagery going back to 2012, but tree cover obscured some views.
The owner told the hearing the backyard structure is a woodshed “stacked on skids” for firewood storage and that construction had been done gradually. The owner said they had measured “15 feet from the property line” on one side and “10 feet” on another and that the structure is not yet fully built. Staff raised an independent setback issue: the zoning standard for accessory structures in that zone requires a 30‑foot setback from the rear property line, and the front yard standard for circular drive elements was discussed as roughly 40 feet depending on property line alignment.
Why it matters: staff said there are competing records in the file—the department of public works signed off on the submitted repaving plan but did not show the circular portion, and no survey for the subject parcel was on file. Without an on‑file survey, staff cannot reliably determine whether the shed or the circular drive meets setback or right‑of‑way limits.
Outcome and next steps: The hearing officer directed the owner to search the applicant’s file box and deed records for an older survey and asked staff to help locate records in departmental storage. The hearing was continued to a September docket so the owner can provide a survey or other documentation to resolve setback and right‑of‑way questions; staff said they will not approve the permit as submitted until the record shows the driveway and shed comply with setback rules.
Ending: If a legitimate historic survey or other documentation confirms the circular drive was legally established before current standards, staff may consider that history in any enforcement decision; otherwise the owner may need to move the shed or modify the driveway to meet setbacks. The hearing officer instructed staff and the owner to coordinate and said the office will revisit the combined package in September.
