The Monona Zoning Board of Appeals on Dec. 15 approved a variance allowing Jeff and Mary Jacobson to add a 12-by-18-foot room and bathroom at 6015 Sylvan Lane so Mary Jacobson can work from home. The board approved the measure by voice vote after finding the property’s corner-lot geometry and the house’s preexisting nonconformity created a practical limitation on building elsewhere on the lot.

Board members said the request matters because the parcel’s street-yard setbacks — 30 feet for street yards under the city zoning code — and the lot’s angled frontage reduce the buildable envelope. Doug, a staff member who presented the case, said the lot “faces both Court and Sylvan Lane” so both sides are treated as street yards and the required street-yard setback is 30 feet; side yards are governed by a 7-foot standard.

The Jacobsons told the board their upstairs has one bathroom and the main-level bath is small; they said a dedicated office and a second full or three-quarter bath are needed so Mary Jacobson, who works for the county, can work from home. Jeff Jacobson described three unsuccessful plans and said the addition “is the only thing that we potentially could do” short of moving. He said the house was built in the mid-1950s and is already outside the current setback requirements.

The applicants said privacy plantings and a fence screen the rear yard. They also provided written neighbor support: Jesse and Cassie Sweet, Mike and Jessica Walsh, and Bill and Stacy Moyer submitted statements in favor. An architect’s letter submitted with the application noted the modest addition would change lot coverage from 33% to 36% — under the 40% maximum allowed in the single-family district.

Board discussion focused on the statutory hardship standard and whether the constraints were specific to the parcel. Board member Diane moved to approve, saying the unnecessary hardship included being forced to find alternative workspace outside the home. Beth seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote; the chair declared “motion carries.”

This action resolves case Z-011-2022, allowing the Jacobsons to proceed with the west-side addition within the approved variance parameters. The board did not attach additional conditions beyond those in the file, and no follow-up report was requested at the meeting.

Notes: the applicants said the house dates to about 1954–55; the proposed addition footprint is 12 by 18 feet; lot frontage measurements cited by staff were roughly 100 feet on Stephanie Court and about 85–86 feet on Sylvan, which contributed to the constrained buildable area.