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ZBA approves driveway-widening variance for Rock Ridge Drive home after neighbor support
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance allowing Howard and Melissa Miller to widen the driveway and reconfigure entry steps at 4 Rock Ridge Drive, citing neighborhood support and minimal neighborhood character impact.
The Rye Brook Zoning Board of Appeals on May 6 approved a variance permitting Howard and Melissa Miller to expand their driveway and widen a parking area in the front yard at 4 Rock Ridge Drive, enabling two vehicles to park side-by-side where the existing configuration limits maneuvering.
Applicant representatives explained the house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac with a narrow driveway and an existing retaining wall that constrains vehicle movement. The proposal moves the retaining wall to the opposite side of the stairway, reconfigures the entry steps, and creates space to park two vehicles adjacent to each other instead of stacked. The architect said this solution reduces impervious cover compared with an alternative that would widen to the left side of the driveway.
The board noted a large set of support letters from nearby Rock Ridge Drive residents (addresses read into the record included 10, 11, 15, 62 and 71 Rock Ridge Drive), and members visiting the site found the change would be visible mainly to cul-de-sac residents and not affect main-road sightlines. The applicant estimated the retaining-wall relocation would yield roughly an eight-foot increase in usable driveway width where needed for vehicle maneuvering.
Citing the five statutory variance factors, the board concluded the requested relief would not adversely affect neighborhood character, that the applicants had pursued practical alternatives and that the need for variance was self-created. The board provisionally granted the variance conditioned on payment of all application and consultant fees; the action was classified a Type II under SEQRA, so no further environmental review was required.
The resolution identifies the property as parcel ID 135.35-1-47 and references Village of Rye Brook zoning code provisions that prohibit unenclosed off-street parking within 25 feet of the front line; the proposed widening required relief from that standard. The motion to grant the variance passed by a 5-0 vote (Steve, Glenn, Jamie, Joe and Don voting yes).
