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Zoning board split: Sambor denied variance; Gorsuch granted a setback variance — council to vote on Sambor at full meeting
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals denied Paul Sambor’s request for a 1,440‑square‑foot detached garage and multiple setback variances; the board granted Jenna Gorsuch a three‑foot side‑yard variance for a 240‑square‑foot deck due to a steep slope. The council heard public comment and deferred final action on the Sambor item to the full meeting.
The Planning, Zoning and Economic Development committee reviewed two recent Zoning Board of Appeals decisions: a denied variance for a large detached garage and an approved variance for a small deck. Council will consider the Sambor variance again during the full council meeting later in the agenda.
Resident applicant Paul Sambor of 625 Ridgeview Drive asked council to reconsider the ZBA’s denial of his request for a 1,440‑square‑foot detached garage. Sambor said his 66,336‑square‑foot lot would allow up to 2,000 square feet of accessory structures under city code (an 800‑square‑foot detached garage plus two 600‑square‑foot accessory buildings) and described the proposed single building as a neater approach to housing his vehicles and equipment. He listed assets he seeks to store as including two boats (16' and 26'), an enclosed camper, an enclosed trailer, a truck, a classic car, his fiancée’s car, lawn equipment and two motorcycles.
Stacey Kelly, the council representative to the Zoning Board, reported that on March 12 the ZBA unanimously denied Sambor’s variance requests. The ZBA cited practical difficulty rules and that the proposed structure was excessively large. At committee, one council member who visited the property said he supported Sambor’s single‑building approach and noted the building would be tucked toward the wooded rear of the lot. Sambor said the variance had appeared before the ZBA three times; the first two times were tabled.
The second applicant, Jenna Gorsuch of 6841 Glenella Drive, sought a three‑foot variance to place a 240‑square‑foot deck 2 feet from the side property line where ordinance 998.03(h)(3) requires a 5‑foot setback. The ZBA voted 5‑0 in favor on March 12, citing the practical difficulty created by a steep drop off in her yard; the applicant told council she would work with the city engineer on fencing and a possible retaining wall to address safety and grading concerns.
Why this matters: The Sambor appeal raises questions about how the city applies accessory‑structure size limits and the practical‑difficulty standard; the Gorsuch case illustrates the ZBA granting relief when topography limits reasonable use of a property.
Next steps: Council members indicated the Sambor item will be considered later in the meeting under the miscellaneous section; no final council vote on Sambor was recorded in committee. The Gorsuch variance has ZBA approval and does not require further council action unless appealed.
