The Socorro City Board of Adjustment on Thursday approved a variance to reduce the rear yard setback at 10245 Kendrick Circle from 25 feet to 19 feet to allow placement of a replacement mobile home, conditioning the approval to apply only to the specific mobile home purchased in 2025.

City planner Jose Botello summarized the request, saying the property, zoned R-1 and roughly 9,000 square feet, requires a six-foot encroachment of the rear setback for the newly purchased mobile home to fit. "The applicant is requesting a variance to allow the encroachment of the rear setback to replace a mobile home," Botello said.

The board’s decision followed questioning by commissioners about the claimed hardship and the timing of the purchase. Commissioner Miriam (surname not specified in the record) and others asked why the mobile home had been purchased before securing permits and whether the staff recommendation properly addressed "substantial justice" as listed on the applicant’s form. The applicant said the existing unit had been removed in February and that a deposit had been paid on the replacement unit before permits were sought. The applicant said, "I didn't know what size she was gonna be getting," when asked whether she or the property owner had confirmed size requirements before purchase.

An initial motion to approve the variance failed after one commissioner abstained. Commissioners then debated remedies and conditions: members raised the limited time window for placing a manufactured unit after removal, potential storage costs for the mobile home while placement is delayed, and whether any fee or surcharge would apply. Staff confirmed documentation showing proof of purchase was filed in the city’s permit system.

After discussion, the board voted to approve the variance with a condition that the reduced setback apply only to the specific mobile home purchased in 2025. The condition was described in the meeting as tying the variance to the current unit so that if that particular unit is moved, any future unit would require a separate review. The board recorded the motion as approved; no detailed roll-call vote with member-by-member votes was transcribed.

The approval allows the applicant to proceed with placing the purchased mobile home at 10245 Kendrick Circle under the narrower 19-foot rear setback while limiting the variance’s applicability to the identified unit.

The board also discussed procedural cautions about tabling items, including the risk that applicants miss future hearings and the effect on ongoing compliance timelines. No further permits or enforcement actions were described in the hearing record.