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Covington board approves fill variance to level yard depressions at 630 South America Street
Summary
The City of Covington Board of Adjustments approved a variance to allow fill placement to raise low, water-holding depressions at 630 South America Street after reviewing engineered plans and a Corps of Engineers permit; bulkhead height was discussed as a separate permit issue.
The City of Covington Board of Adjustments on Monday approved a variance to allow fill placement to level low spots in the backyard at 630 South America Street.
The board voted affirmatively on a motion to permit fill to bring depressions up to surrounding grade for maintenance and drainage; the roll call recorded unanimous approval by the commissioners present. The applicants and their agent told the board the work targets isolated depressions rather than raising the entire yard and that the plan had been revised to address drainage concerns.
Paul Marrone, speaking on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Geary, described the work as limited to "several low areas, depressions" that "hold water" and said the goal is to bring those depressions "to the surrounding grade so that they can be mowed" and not to raise the entire yard above existing grade. Marrone said the applicants hold a wetlands determination and a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the work and that the city's engineer reviewed the latest plan and was "fairly satisfied that that drainage wise that it's not going to have an adverse impact." Marrone added the team provided letters of no objection from upstream and downstream neighbors.
Chris Brown, code enforcement staff, confirmed the fill portion of the request originated from a complaint about fill being brought onto the property and that the owner was asked to provide an engineered fill plan. Brown said fill to change grade is not generally permitted under the city's current ordinance absent board approval.
Board members asked whether the low areas resulted from long-term erosion; Marrone said he believed erosion was the cause and that filling the depressions would improve maintenance and mosquito control. Commissioners discussed the bulkhead and boat-house permits separately; staff said the bulkhead-height question could be handled as a separate application because the fill and the bulkhead are subject to different code provisions.
The motion to approve the fill variance carried on roll call. The approval applies to the engineered plan as presented; the board noted that any bulkhead or boathouse height variance remains a separate matter and may require additional review and permits, including coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
