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Quincy council approves variance for garage at 621 North 20th Street
Summary
The Quincy City Council voted 13-1 to approve a variance allowing an accessory garage to be built less than 2 feet from the side/rear property line at 621 North 20th Street, overriding a Zoning Board of Appeals recommendation to deny the request.
The Quincy City Council voted 13-1 to approve a variance allowing an accessory garage to be built fewer than 2 feet from the side/rear property line at 621 North 20th Street, overriding a recommendation to deny the request by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The request arose after a concrete slab poured roughly two decades ago on the property does not follow the lot line. The owner, identified only as William in the meeting record, told the council he had planned a garage and discovered the slab cuts into his lot about a foot, blocking him from meeting the city’s two-foot setback requirement. "I would ask you for your sympathy and to see your way clear to allowing me the variance," William said during public comment.
City staff said the slab itself is not a structure and that the setback issue applies once walls are erected. Jason, a city staff member, told the council that "the concrete could go even to the property line. It's the actual when you get the structure in the wall. That's where it comes in." Staff and applicants also told the council the slab has been in place more than 20 years and that neighbors submitted letters and an email in support of the variance.
Zoning staff noted the city office can administratively reduce a setback by 20 percent in some circumstances — which would have reduced the requirement to about 1 foot 8 inches in this case — but because the projected wall would encroach on the side yard the application went to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Zoning Board recommended denial; the City Council voted to grant the variance, finding the poured slab created an exceptional circumstance tied to the property’s existing condition.
The roll-call vote approving the variance was 13 ayes and 1 nay. Alderman Ebbing cast the lone no vote. The council did not specify additional conditions on the record beyond approval of the variance.
The record shows neighbor support and staff explanation of setback and structural distinctions drove much of the discussion. The transcript does not specify a timeline for construction or outstanding permitting steps required following the council’s vote.
