Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Depew Zoning Board grants variance to widen driveway at 782 Sherwood Court
Summary
The Village of Depew Zoning Board of Appeals on July 10 granted Michael C. Bukowski a variance to widen his Sherwood Court driveway two feet, leaving the driveway one foot from the property line; the board cited the six-factor area-variance test and heard neighbor support.
The Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of Depew voted 5-0 on July 10 to grant a variance allowing Michael C. Bukowski to widen the driveway at 782 Sherwood Court by 2 feet, leaving the driveway 1 foot from the property line.
The variance matters because Bukowski told the board the existing single-car driveway is deteriorated, creates difficulty opening the passenger door in winter due to high snowbanks, and is constraining because of a knee injury. The board applied New York State's six-factor area-variance test before approving the request.
Bukowski, the applicant, said the driveway "needs is very badly deteriorated and needs to be replaced" and that he wanted to "widen it 2 foot wider towards the property line." He told the board the extra width would provide an additional snowblower run and space to open the car door, and that "especially now that I have a leg injury, I can't bend my knee too well." The public hearing record included a written neighbor statement supporting the request.
Mark Crampen, a resident of 48 King Avenue who spoke at the hearing, said he inspected the property and urged the board to allow the widening: "there is no reason in the world why this guy shouldn't be able to widen that driveway." Member Spada, who said she visited the property, told the board, "It's in bad shape," and noted the driveway appears original to homes built in the early 1950s.
During the hearing the board secretary read the public notice describing the application as seeking an allowance to widen the driveway two feet within the required three-foot setback, resulting in a driveway one foot from the property line under the Village ordinance. The board reviewed the standard area-variance questions used in New York State and recorded the applicant's responses, including that the change would not produce an undesirable change in neighborhood character, that the benefit sought could not be achieved by other means, and that the requested variance was not substantial.
Member Bernard moved to grant the variance as presented; the motion was seconded by Member Gallivan. The recorded vote was: Member Overholt — yes; Member Gallivan — yes; Member Menard — yes; Member Bridal — yes; Acting Chairman Patrick Delaney — yes. The board closed the hearing following the vote.
No conditions beyond the variance description were recorded in the hearing minutes, and the board did not specify additional implementation steps or a reporting schedule.
