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Board approves variance for driveway widening at 1521 Finch Drive
Summary
The Bowling Green Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance allowing brick paver widening at 1521 Finch Drive that exceeds the code width restriction; the homeowner cited family vehicle needs and said the work was not meant to violate code.
The Bowling Green Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance permitting a driveway widening at 1521 Finch Drive that was constructed before a permit was obtained. The owner, Robert Cooley, told the board the widening responded to household parking needs after the family became a “three-vehicle family.”
The city’s planning staff cited Article 4, section 150.72, which limits driveway width for one- and two-family dwellings to 20 feet or the width of the garage to which the driveway leads, and told the board the pavers as installed exceeded the allowable width based on the garage configuration. Staff’s packet documents enforcement contacts starting in February 2024 and multiple notices and phone messages before Mr. Cooley applied for a variance on March 25, 2025.
Cooley described his motivation and timeline: he said he used donated pavers and began work to reduce yard damage and to provide safer parking for his son’s truck. “We became a three-vehicle family, and my son's truck was making marks in the street,” Cooley told the board, adding he initially began to remove pavers after receiving a violation notice but then applied for the variance when he could not complete removal. Cooley also said he had health issues and other personal matters that delayed filings.
A neighboring resident, Chris Rossi of 1515 Finch, testified he has no objection and said the widened driveway “looks really nice” and would help his elderly mother by providing a smoother walkway.
Board members noted that Cooley removed some pavers after enforcement contact and described the requested increase — 4 feet 10 inches beyond the allowable width tied to the garage — as modest. The board moved, seconded and approved the variance on a roll call vote; staff reminded the owner to coordinate with the planning department for final permits and inspections.
The staff record shows no written objections from neighbors and that required public notices and a site posting were completed. The board’s approval resolves the enforcement notice for this specific property; administrative follow-up remains.
