Planning board recommends ZBA approve area variance to allow conversion of roadside garage to primary dwelling

Owners of 4 Old Bulls Head LLC sought an area-variance recommendation so an existing accessory building at 160 Old Bulls Head Road can be converted to a principal dwelling with a reduced front-yard setback.

Applicant John Paul Avital told the board the structure had historically been used as a garage; county assessor records showed residential code entries but the building was not previously recorded as a principal dwelling. The structure sits roughly 11 feet from the road where the AR-5 bulk regulations require a 100-foot front-yard setback for a principal dwelling. Converting the structure to a primary residence therefore requires an area variance.

Planning staff reviewed the parcel and recommended the board provide a positive recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals, subject to the usual building- and health-department approvals (notably a Health Department Form #34 or equivalent confirmation of an adequate septic solution). On the record the planning board voted to forward a positive recommendation to the ZBA, and discussed that any future substantial expansion beyond the existing building footprint could trigger separate permitting or variance needs. The board also recommended that, if the ZBA approves the variance, the approval be recorded in the county clerk's office with language limiting the variance to the existing structure so future enlargement would require review.

Why this matters: The recommendation clears a local procedural step toward placing an existing, legally ambiguous structure into residential use while ensuring public-health and septic approvals are finalized by the county health department.

Vote: Planning board voted in favor of the positive recommendation to the ZBA on the area-variance request.