Tippecanoe ABZA grants variance for new garage at 6827 US 52 West

The Tippecanoe County Area Board of Zoning Appeals on June 25, 2025, approved a variance to reduce the required front (north) setback from 60 feet to 46 feet at 6827 US 52 West so a petitioner may build a 16-by-24 single-car garage.

The variance was approved by ballot, five votes in favor and none opposed. The board requires four affirmative votes to decide; five ballots were cast in favor, meeting that threshold.

Staffer Nathan McBurnett of the Area Plan Commission told the board the property sits northwest of the town of Montmorenci and is surrounded largely by AA‑zoned parcels from a 1988 township rezone. McBurnett said wide rights-of-way on both the US 52 frontage and a railroad to the south consume most of the yard, leaving a narrow sliver where a new outbuilding could be placed by right but would be difficult to access. He described an existing small tool shed on the lot that would be removed and said the proposed location “is six feet from his home, which is basically the minimum distance” required by code. Staff recommended approval, concluding the property’s shape and the large rights-of-way created a hardship under the ordinance’s tests.

Petitioner Martin Temple told the board the structure would be a 16-by-24 single-car garage to be used for storage and parking. Temple said he and his wife are on disability and want the garage close to their home to reduce exposure to rain and snow and to protect their vehicle from hail.

No members of the public spoke in opposition. Following the board’s vote, the chair declared the variance granted.

The board’s procedures require any decision lacking four affirmative or negative votes to be continued; this decision met the four-vote threshold and will be reflected in the board’s written findings.