El Paso County board denies appeal of administrative setback relief for Monument home

The El Paso County Board of Adjustment on a unanimous 5-0 vote denied an appeal of an administrative relief that reduced the west-side setback for a detached garage at 1410 Trumpeters Court in the Hilltop Pines planned unit development.

The appeal was filed by Jeffrey and Stacy Werschke, the westerly neighbors to Mark and Jerry Grissom, who applied for the administrative relief. The board’s role was limited, Chair Kevin Curry said at the start of the hearing: "This is not a hearing on a setback." Instead, the board was asked to decide whether the Planning and Community Development (PCD) director erred in finding that the administrative relief met the approval criteria in the county Land Development Code.

PCD planner Lacey Dean told the board that the original BOA variance request (BOA 244) seeking a 62-foot setback where 100 feet was required had been denied in September 2024. The property owners revised their plan and applied for administrative relief (ADR 253), requesting an 82-foot setback (an 18% reduction from the required 100 feet), which staff approved administratively on March 5. Dean said the…