Grosse Ile zoning board approves variance to allow Meridian Road house expansion
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Summary
On March 25, 2025, the Grosse Ile Board of Zoning Appeals granted Scott and Megan Story a dimensional variance allowing a two-story addition at 19130 Meridian Road, citing a narrow lot and findings that the proposal would not worsen existing nonconformities.
GROSSE ILE, Mich. — The Grosse Ile Board of Zoning Appeals on March 25 approved a dimensional variance allowing Scott and Megan Story to build an addition at 19130 Meridian Road, a waterfront property whose lot and house do not meet current R1A zoning standards.
Township staff member Brian Borden told the board the lot is about 74 feet wide; the R1A district requires an 80-foot minimum. The house’s combined side-yard setbacks total about 12 feet 5 inches, short of the 18-foot minimum. Borden said the proposed north-side addition would meet the single-side minimum setback (about 6 feet 2 inches) and “does not further increase any of the nonconformities,” and he advised the board that granting a dimensional variance requires an affirmative vote of a majority of the board’s membership. “It will take an affirmative vote of 4 of the 5 of you at minimum to pass a variance tonight,” Borden said.
Megan Story, one of the applicants, said the couple bought the house about two and a half years ago and has been restoring it. She said the addition is primarily to gain storage and livable space and that the design “matches the existing structure.” The applicants submitted an email from the Grosse Ile Nature and Land Conservancy saying it had no objections and provided neighbor support letters; those were entered into the record.
Borden framed the legal issues around sections of the township zoning ordinance cited in his review: section 3.5 (dimensional standards for R1A), section 18.6 (nonconforming building provisions) and section 23.5(B) (variance review criteria). He told the board that the nonconforming lot width and existing setbacks present an “extraordinary circumstance” not created by the current owners and that an expansion of the home otherwise would be barred without a variance. On those bases, he recommended the board consider the practical difficulty and substantial justice tests that apply to dimensional variances.
Board members discussed the proposal and voiced support, saying the addition largely matches existing encroachments and that the narrow lot constitutes an extraordinary circumstance. One member moved to approve the appeal “as submitted,” citing practical difficulty, substantial justice and the extraordinary condition of the lot; another member seconded. The board voted in favor, and the chair announced the petition was granted. The board did not record individual roll-call votes in the transcript; the decision was unanimous among members present.
The board directed township staff to file the applicants’ support letters and the conservancy email into the public record. No members of the public spoke on the item at the hearing. The board adjourned at the end of the meeting.
Votes at a glance
- Appeal 25-001 (Scott and Megan Story, 19130 Meridian Road): Motion to approve dimensional variance as submitted; motion carried (unanimous of members present).
