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Board approves alley parking and small lot variances for 822 Pine St.; applicant to supply screening plan
Summary
The board approved variances allowing a new five-stall parking addition accessed from an alley at 822 Pine Street, granting limited relief for landscape buffer width, driveway-throat length measured from property line, and a small increase in impervious surface; applicant must submit final screening and landscape plans to staff.
The Zoning and Planning Board of Appeals approved variances March 17 allowing Rouge Properties LLC to add a five-stall parking area accessed directly from the alley behind 822 Pine Street. The board voted to allow limited relief on three zoning points: landscape buffer width along the south property line, driveway throat length as measured from the property line, and a modest increase in overall lot impervious surface.
City staff explained the site history: earlier parcel lines shifted after a sale and the area behind the property is now part of the apartment parcel rather than the former single-family parcel. Staff said the code requires a 25-foot buffer where a multifamily building abuts residential property; the applicant’s plan shows a roughly 3-foot buffer in one location and proposes trees and shrubs to screen the lot. Staff told the board that final site plans must show a screening solution that meets the code’s minimum opaque‑screen standard (4 feet tall and 90% opaque year‑round) and the required planting density (about one tree and five shrubs per 200 feet) so that the board can confirm compliance in subsequent review.
Staff also noted the code’s minimum driveway throat of 18 feet measured from the property line; the proposed alley‑facing layout would not provide an 18‑foot throat because it shares an alleyback operation already present on the block. Board members and the applicant discussed how many units the apartment building contains (31) and that the building is short of the code-required 39 parking stalls; the five added stalls would improve but not fully meet the overall parking requirement. The applicant, Dalton Roush of Rouge Properties LLC, said he would submit a final landscape and screening plan and that the proposed pavement would replace a small existing garage and lawn area. Staff computed the site’s existing impervious coverage at about 53.2% and said the addition would raise it to about 60.4% (the OR district maximum is 60%), which the applicant characterized as a de minimis change.
After deliberation board members cited the alley context, the parcel history and the site’s tight urban constraints and approved the variances. The board’s decision requires the applicant to provide a compliant screening/landscape plan in follow-up and to meet remaining technical site-plan requirements in staff review. The outcome was recorded by voice vote.
Ending: Staff will review the applicant’s final site plan and landscape screening submittal; if the applicant alters other parking areas previously grandfathered to meet standards, those changes could trigger additional review or require return to the board for further determinations.
