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BZA approves side‑yard variance for egress window at 936 Timberman Road
Summary
The board approved a variance to reduce a side-yard setback to allow an egress well and window at a narrow Timberman Road lot; the applicant and staff said the well improves safety and will have a cover, and staff found no lot-coverage impact.
BZA approves side‑yard variance for egress window at 936 Timberman Road
The Grandview Heights Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance to reduce the side-yard setback from 6 feet to 4 feet at 936 Timberman Road to allow a new egress window and egress well, and to reduce the combined side-yard total from 12 feet to 10.7 feet.
The applicant, Samantha Day, told the board she seeks to bring a half-finished basement up to code and provide safe emergency egress: "we like to replace it to get it up to code and safety... that way, we can use the space and feel comfortable that if an emergency were to happen, that we can safely get out of the space." Staff explained the lot is narrow, the proposed egress well projects three feet into the side yard and is 42 inches wide, and that the well is intended to meet applicable egress sizing standards. Staff recommended approval, noting no anticipated change to lot coverage and that the well may reduce runoff because of its design.
Board members asked whether an egress well differs from a standard window well; staff said an egress well is a more substantial, functional element serving the dwelling. A board member asked whether the well would be covered; the applicant said, "There will be a cover."
The board voted to approve BZA case K07‑2025 (936 Timberman Road). The motion to approve and the second were recorded on the transcript; roll-call in the approval included affirmative acknowledgments recorded as: Liza; Count now; Kinzinger. The action was recorded as approved.
The variance authorizes the encroachment needed for an egress well required for a compliant egress window on a narrow lot. Staff and the board discussed that the practical constraint is lot width and that the well will be constructed to meet egress and safety standards. The applicant and staff agreed a cover will be used on the well; staff asked that final materials and installation details be consistent with safety guidance.
