BZA approves Van Sant storage site variances with conditions after East Monroe Water Corp. input

The Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals approved four variances for a proposed convenience-storage facility on Night Ridge Road, imposing conditions aimed at protecting an 8-inch water main owned by East Monroe Water Corporation and reducing disturbance near the water line.

The petitioner, represented by developer Ms. Van Sant and engineer William Rigert, sought four variances under the prior zoning code (requested as VAR-24-50 A–D): a maximum lot-coverage variance (Chapter 8-04), a buffer-yard width variance (Chapter 8-30), a buffer-yard D-value variance along the southern property edge (Chapter 8-30), and a variance to omit landscaping in a proposed bioretention basin (Chapter 8-30). The site is in Salt Creek Township at 3434 South Night Ridge Road and had prior approvals for other variances and use changes earlier in 2024.

Planning staff had recommended denial, principally because the applicant’s latest site plan showed nearly 19,900 square feet of impervious surface — above the 15,000-square-foot maximum for the CR zoning under the old ordinance — and the buffer-yard widths were reduced in places. The petitioners explained that site changes were driven in part by the Monroe Fire District’s requirement to add a fire-truck turnaround, and that a large portion of the paved area already exists on the site.

East Monroe Water Corporation representatives told the board they had recently GPS-located an 8-inch water main that crosses the rear of the parcel and requested a roughly 15-foot clearance on each side of the line to protect the pipe and avoid planting large-rooted trees in that zone. Water-company representatives also asked that the turnaround not be paved with permanent concrete or asphalt where the water line lies, and that any vegetation over the line be limited to plantings that would not risk root damage.

BZA members and staff negotiated conditions intended to protect the water main and to keep the site workable. The board approved all four variances, 3–0, subject to these conditions: 1) The site’s turnaround area shall be constructed with gravel (not asphalt or concrete) where it overlays the water-main alignment identified by East Monroe Water Corporation. 2) Any landscaped areas that are determined to be within 15 feet of either side of the water main may substitute shrubs, perennials, ferns or grasses, on a one-for-one basis in place of trees (i.e., a one-for-one substitution is permitted regardless of D-value calculation differences); and 3) The petitioner must coordinate final design and any required adjustments with East Monroe Water Corporation so the utility’s access and protection requirements are met.

Stormwater staff supported the requested omission of plantings inside the bioretention area where the basin must include pipes and access. The water company and petitioner agreed to provide GPS locates and to coordinate final engineering so that the detention basin and drainage pipes would not conflict with the water main.

Votes at a glance - VAR-24-50 A–D (Van Sant; Night Ridge Road storage site): Approved 3–0 with conditions (turnaround gravel; 1-for-1 plant substitutions within 15 ft of water main; coordination with East Monroe Water Corporation).

Why it matters: The decision shows how BZA approvals can be conditioned to protect buried utilities while allowing redevelopment of long-unused, heavily disturbed commercial parcels. The case also illustrates the role of local utilities in shaping site design at the permitting stage.

What’s next: The petitioner will provide GPS locates for the water main to the project engineer and the county, revise final site plans as needed, and proceed with site-plan approval and permitting consistent with the board’s conditions.