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La Porte City BZA approves reduced front-yard setback for Rockwood Street garage
Summary
On May 13 the La Porte City Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance reducing the minimum front-yard setback from 25 feet to 17 feet so homeowner Herman Peyton can rebuild a 24-by-30 detached garage after storm damage.
La Porte City’s Board of Zoning Appeals on May 13 approved a variance reducing the minimum front-yard setback from 25 feet to 17 feet along the south property line to allow a homeowner to rebuild a detached garage.
The variance was requested by petitioner Herman Peyton of 401 Rockwood Street after an insurance company required demolition of an existing garage damaged when a tree struck it. Peyton told the board he plans to replace the existing 18-by-18 garage with a 24-by-30 structure and that the larger garage will allow him to store vehicles currently parked on the street. "I have a garage that needs to come down because a tree hit it. The insurance company says it needs to come down, and I wanna rebuild," Peyton said.
Staff summarized the petition (variance of development standards petition 25-04) and the applicable decision criteria, noting the proposed detached garage would be located in the side-street front yard of a corner lot and that the requested 17-foot setback meets the ordinance’s maximum accessory-building area limit of 721 square feet. Staff said the proposed location is not closer to the front of the principal residence, that the separation between the proposed garage and house would be at least 10 feet, and that the proposed structure would meet the minimum 3-foot side-yard separation shown on the petitioner’s site plan. Staff recommended approval, concluding the request conforms with the county land development plan and the zoning ordinance’s variance standards.
There were no public comments during the hearing. A motion to approve the variance passed unanimously. The board recorded the action as approval of the variance to reduce the minimum front-yard setback on a corner lot side street from 25 feet to 17 feet along the south property line (variance petition 25-04). The board did not record any amendments to the petition or additional conditions beyond those noted in the staff report.
Permits and building inspections will follow the board’s approval before construction may begin; the staff summary indicated the proposal meets the ordinance’s accessory-building size limits but did not specify a construction start date.
