Monona zoning board limits variance for Brookhaven Circle sunroom to existing footprint

The City of Monona Zoning Board of Appeals on a split vote approved a variance that allows Tiffany and Jason Tobias to enclose an existing rear deck at 1200 Brookhaven Circle only if the enclosed room does not expand the structure's footprint beyond what the board approved as a maximum.

The Tobises sought an 18-inch extension from the current nonconforming deck to create a conditioned sunroom because they said both work from home and need additional indoor space. Zoning staff told the board the property encroaches on two setback standards cited in the application: the street-yard setback (the zoning packet references section 480-24(d)(4)(a)) and the shore-yard setback (section 480-24(d)(4)(d)). The survey in the record shows the street-yard setback at about 20.7 feet (the typical street-yard requirement is 30 feet) and the shore-yard requirement as 50 feet; the Tobises' house was described in staff materials as approximately 45 feet from the channel, and the applicants said the requested enclosure would place the…