OLIVETTE, Mo. — The City of Olivette Board of Adjustment voted unanimously July 10 to grant a side-yard setback variance for 733 Lantern Lane that will allow the homeowners to rebuild and extend an existing garage.

The board approved a variance of up to 6 feet along the north property line to permit a garage extension as shown on the petitioner’s plans. The decision was 5–0; board members said the lot’s shape and its dual frontages limit buildable area and that the work mostly replaces an older structure.

Staff said the lot’s irregular shape and dual street frontage reduce the property’s buildable area. Jack Carswell, the city’s planning and zoning administrator, told the board, "the lot is unique due to the shape and it's also a dual street frontage lot." Carswell said the existing garage was built in 1987, before the city’s 2005 setback calculation change, and the proposed work would not move the building any closer to the north property line than the existing structure.

Architect John Matheny, who presented for the petitioner, said the existing garage will be demolished to the foundation and rebuilt with higher walls so modern vehicles will fit. "We're just trying to modernize and update the garage," Matheny said, describing the new work as an extension to create more headroom and usable space.

Property owner Trent Silva described the practical constraint inside the existing structure: "I have to duck to walk in, and I've I've hit my head on the garage door opener metal corner at least 4 or 5 times, it hurts," he said, adding that neither of the family’s vehicles fit well inside the current garage.

Board members who supported the variance noted the addition would not increase the structure’s northward encroachment and said it would preserve the street-facing character of the home. Several members referenced the 2005 ordinance that changed how side-yard setbacks are calculated and concluded the property’s physical configuration creates the requisite "practical difficulty" for an area variance.

The petitioner will next appear before the city’s Planning and Community Design Commission for architectural review; staff said that meeting will likely be scheduled in mid-to-late August. The board recorded that the variance approval applies only to the plan presented and that subsequent changes may require additional review.

Background and clarifications: the house is legally Lot 38 of the Hillandale Subdivision; the existing home dates to 1955, the garage was built in 1987, and the current homeowners purchased the property in April 2024. Staff said the area of the specific corner involved in the extension is roughly 25 square feet and that the required side-yard setback for this lot is 19.7 feet under section 400.260 (side-yard setback rules) of the municipal code.

The Board of Adjustment record shows a unanimous vote in favor; no public objections were recorded during the hearing.