Oxford BZA approves lot‑coverage variance at 417–419 E. Withrow with parking‑block condition

The Oxford Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 28 granted a variance allowing a higher lot coverage than the R3MS zoning maximum at 417 and 419 East Withrow Street, with a condition that parking blocks be installed on the row of spaces closest to the structure.

The variance lets the property retain an existing rear parking configuration that staff said results in overall lot coverage above the 45% limit for alley‑access lots in the R3MS (Miles Square) district. City planner and GIS coordinator Zachary Moore told the board the average lot coverage across the district is "just a little bit below what the code maximum is of 45%," and that similarly sized lots often exceed the code limit.

Why it matters: The case pits the city’s numerical lot‑coverage standard against a long‑standing pattern of rear alley parking in the Mile Square and raises public‑safety questions after the city’s fire chief identified potential Ohio Fire Code concerns when the building permit and inspections were reviewed.

Moore told the BZA the property at 417–419 E. Withrow was built under a permit issued…