Zoning board approves three nonconforming-structure renovations, including Packard and Arbor Street projects

The Ann Arbor City Zoning Board of Appeals on March 26 granted relief to property owners seeking to alter nonconforming structures at 1537 Packard Street, a house on Copley Avenue, and 717 Arbor Street.

The approvals cover: allowing new habitable basement space in a duplex at 1537 Packard Street; replacing an existing screened porch at a Copley Avenue house and rebuilding it in the same footprint; and renovation and conversion work at 717 Arbor Street that makes the basement habitable and adjusts layouts across floors. The board read resolutions granting the requested relief and recorded affirmative votes for each item.

Why it matters: The decisions permit property owners to update aging buildings and, in two cases, add habitable space in basements. Board members flagged potential neighborhood effects — including on‑street parking near student housing — while supporting repairs and code upgrades that proponents said would bring structures up to modern standards.

1537 Packard Street David Lewis, architect for the Packard…