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Euclid planning commission hears retroactive variance request for side-yard HVAC unit
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission considered a retroactive variance allowing a central air unit to remain in the side yard of a corner lot at 371 East 200 and Fifteenth Street; staff raised an aesthetic screening concern and asked the applicant to work with staff on compliance steps.
The City of Euclid Planning and Zoning Commission considered a request from Antoinette Willis to allow a central air-conditioning unit installed in the side yard of her home at 371 East 200 and Fifteenth Street to remain despite a zoning requirement that such units be placed behind the rear line of the house and at least 10 feet from any side property line.
The applicant, Antoinette Willis, told the commission she is a corner-lot homeowner and that the contractor she used — chosen from the city’s recommended list — said there was no practical place on the property other than the side yard for the unit. "There was nowhere else on the property they could put it," Willis said when describing the installation and her conversations with city staff about placement options.
City planner Commissioner Muscatello gave the staff report, describing the house as a two-story colonial built in 1927 and reiterating the codified ordinance standard that units be located behind the rear line and 10 feet from the side lot line. Muscatello said staff’s primary concern was visibility from the street and that, while the owner had attempted to screen the compressor with a decorative device, staff recommended a more substantial screen be installed. "It is up to the applicant to present their case, state their hardship, and demonstrate that the variance will have no negative impact on the adjacent properties," Muscatello said.
During her testimony, Willis said she had discussed placement options with a city staff member and that two alternate locations identified by staff would have been on sidewalks or in front of a side doorway, which she understood could violate fire code. The commission asked Willis to coordinate with staff to confirm procedures and to provide the installer’s name for the record.
Commissioner Munro moved to grant the variance (the motion text in the hearing record referenced locating a generator approximately 15 feet from the side lot line and permanent parcel number 642-13-119), and Commissioner Swanson Sawyer seconded. The hearing record does not include a roll-call tally or explicit recorded outcome for this motion in the transcript provided; further procedural steps with staff were noted for the applicant.
The commission’s discussion focused on the practical difficulty posed by the corner-lot configuration and the existing deck and two-car garage, which the applicant and staff said limited alternative placements. Staff emphasized that any approval would not supersede building- or service-department permit requirements and that the use of the property must await any required permits and certificates of occupancy.
The commission asked the applicant to work with staff to finalize screening and compliance details before closing the file with the building department.
