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Board approves variance to keep accessory structure, gravel parking after floodplain review
Summary
The Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance allowing an existing accessory structure and gravel parking areas to remain within the special flood hazard area after staff confirmed compensatory storage and floodplain development standards were met.
The Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals voted 4-0 on May 7 to approve Variance VAR-24-18, allowing an existing accessory structure and adjacent gravel parking areas to remain in a special flood hazard area at 8400 North Mount Pleasant Road in Washington Township.
Staff told the board the accessory structure — an elevated, sub‑300 square‑foot shed — and the gravel parking areas meet floodplain development standards after remediation. The parcel changed ownership on Feb. 28, 2025, and the new owner has worked with staff to remove gravel from the approximate floodway and to confirm compensatory storage requirements were met.
Planning staff planner Tammy Behrman said the structure was elevated, the HVAC was raised and engineered flood vents were installed to meet the county’s floodplain development standards. Behrman told the board staff took soil cores and found roughly 5–7 inches of topsoil where gravel had been added; staff’s inspection and a stormwater program analysis concluded that the site met compensatory storage requirements when measured against the county development ordinance and the stormwater program technical standards.
Property owner Sam Urie, sworn and heard by the board, said he and his family moved to Monroe County in February and that he has been cooperating with staff to resolve past noncompliance: “I’ve been trying … to make sure we remain compliant,” Urie told the board.
There were no public speakers opposed; no conditions were attached to the board’s motion. The board’s motion and subsequent roll call show unanimous approval from the four members present.
Why it matters: The vote resolved a code enforcement concern that arose after staff discovered unpermitted changes during permit closeout work. The approved variance preserves an existing accessory structure and parking where prior work had encroached into regulated flood areas, while relying on documented compensatory storage and flood vents to reduce flood risk.
What the board directed next: Because the parcel sits in regulated flood zones, staff will continue monitoring the property for compliance with the stormwater program and the county development ordinance, according to staff statements at the hearing.
