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Board approves amended variance for larger pole barn at Quince Road after petitioner agrees to remove shed
Summary
The St. Joseph County Area Board of Zoning Appeals granted an amended variance allowing a 3,840-square-foot detached pole barn at 54658 Quince Road after the petitioner agreed to remove one small shed; staff had recommended denial of the original 4,000-square-foot request.
The St. Joseph County Area Board of Zoning Appeals on July 9 approved an amended variance permitting a 3,840-square-foot detached pole barn at 54658 Quince Road after the petitioner agreed to remove a 10-by-16-foot shed from the property.
Fariel Sharif of Area Plan Commission staff described the lot in Warren Township and recommended denial of the original request to allow a 4,000-square-foot accessory building where the code permits 2,550 square feet. "For those reasons, based off the information prior to the hearing, we recommend denial of the request," Sharif said, noting staff found nothing in the site's conditions to warrant a 57% increase over the permitted area.
Petitioner Dennis Holdren said several neighboring properties have large pole barns and that he needs space to store an RV and several vehicles. "I have six classic cars, and we drive four normal cars," Holdren said, explaining the storage need and noting two smaller accessory buildings on the lot that he proposed to remove.
During the hearing, the petitioner said a 16-by-20 shed would be removed the coming Saturday if the variance were approved and that a 20-by-20 shed would be removed when the new barn is built. Board members discussed alternative motions and staff calculations and settled on an amended variance that accounted for removing the 10-by-16 shed (160 square feet), resulting in an allowable 3,840 square feet.
Board member Dr. Lauck moved to approve the amended variance to allow 3,840 square feet with all staff-imposed conditions; the motion was seconded by Lea Trautsch. Members present voted unanimously to grant the amended variance; the board said it will issue written findings of fact.
Sharif had also noted that larger accessory structures can change the residential character of a neighborhood and that the proposed size "could be visible" to nearby properties; the petitioner responded that several surrounding parcels already have larger pole barns. The record shows existing accessory buildings on the Holdren property, including a 24-by-32 garage, two 16-by-20 sheds, a 20-by-20 shed and a 10-by-16 shed; petitioner said two of those would be removed after construction.
The petition sought relief from Section 154.07 C(2)(a)(1) of the county zoning code to exceed the allowed detached accessory building area. The board's approval amended the requested size and tied the permit to staff conditions, including removal of the specified shed as represented at the hearing.
