Board approves variance for JTB Construction at 496 Grant Street

The Amelibo County Board of Adjustments approved a variance Jan. 21 allowing JTB Construction LLC to reduce the required side-yard setbacks for a proposed house at 496 Grant Street in Danville.

The vote sustained a motion finding that the requested 8.78-foot setback on the east and 7.83-foot setback on the west would not “adversely affect public health, safety, or welfare,” would not alter the essential character of the vicinity and would not result in an unreasonable circumvention of the zoning regulations.

The board’s planner, Makayla, told members the property is zoned RM‑2 (two‑family residential) and that the lot is 53 feet wide — significantly narrower than the 80‑foot lot width typically required for RM‑2 parcels. Makayla said the house footprint and roof overhang would encroach on the side yards and that the encroachments were limited to the rear corners of the lot. “This is smaller than what we would typically require for the RM 2 zoning district,” she said, adding the encroachment results primarily from roof overhangs included in the setback calculation.

Board members who visited the site described the surrounding lots as older and narrower than current zoning standards and said similar lot sizes are common in the neighborhood. A motion to approve the variance was made by Jim and seconded by Willie; the chair called for the question and the motion carried. The board directed staff to add the stated findings to the record.

The approved variance addresses only the side-yard setbacks on the subject property; the planner said the proposal meets other dimensional requirements for front and rear yards. No vote tally with individual member votes was recorded in the hearing minutes.