Oshkosh Plan Commission approves variance for home addition at 143 W. 20 2nd Ave

The City of Oshkosh Plan Commission on July 15 approved a variance allowing a home addition and connected three-car garage at 143 West 20 2nd Avenue, voting 9-0 to adopt staff findings and recommendations. The owner/applicant is Benjamin Campbell.

Staff told the commission the subject lot is about 7,900 square feet with a roughly 1,600-square-foot, 1½-story house built about 1915; the proposed addition includes a breezeway and a 26-by-36 three-car garage. Staff said the proposed accessory structure would be under the city's maximum allowed accessory-structure square footage (936 square feet) and that similar attached garages exist in the block. "Staff recommends approval of this variance request to allow a home addition that is more than 50% of the existing principal structure's footprint," the staff presenter said.

Commission discussion was limited and included a clarification from staff that the proposal does not include an accessory dwelling unit. The applicant was present but did not make a substantive statement at the podium. No members of the public spoke during the item.

The motion to adopt the staff report carried on a roll-call vote: Miss Davey (Aye), Mister Lowenstein (Aye), Mister Bowen (Aye), Miss Sherman (Aye), Miss Prahm (Aye), Council Member Bulow (Aye), Mister Rucker (Aye), Vice Chair Keefer (Aye) and Chairman Perry (Aye). The minutes show the motion carried 9-0.

The approval included the standard conditions and findings listed in the staff report; the commission recorded no alterations to the staff conditions. This vote clears the variance and allows the applicant to proceed with permitting under the conditions spelled out in staff materials.