Wellington board approves variance for hangar at 2420 Greenbrier Boulevard

The Wellington Planning & Zoning Adjustment Board voted to approve a variance allowing the construction of an airplane hangar 25 feet from the front property line at 2420 Greenbrier Boulevard, reducing the village’s 50-foot front setback requirement.

Applicant Matt Wojciechowski of Schmidt Nichols told the board the hangar would need a 25-foot setback to be useable and that the lot’s “pinched” geometry — created by a non-perpendicular taxiway cul-de-sac, runway adjacency and lack of a side street — leaves little buildable area. Wojciechowski said the proposal is smaller than an earlier 2022 request, removes a garage door and driveway facing Greenbrier to present a more residential aesthetic and that ‘‘more than half of the properties with runway access to Greenbrier Boulevard do not provide a 50-foot setback,’’ citing several nearby examples with 25- and 30-foot setbacks.

Kelly Ferriolo, Wellington planning staff, entered the petition into the record as petition 2024-1var (resolution PZABR2025-1) and summarized staff’s findings, noting the parcel is within the Landings at Wellington PUD and that the runway paving in 2012 has led to demand for larger hangars. Ferriolo said staff’s analysis found the request met the village’s variance criteria and recommended conditions of approval.

Opponents included Doug Matthews, president of the Aero Club property owners’ association board, who told the board the association’s covenants ‘‘don’t allow hangars to be built in the front of the house, period,’’ and said an ARC approval previously issued was rescinded after board review. Matthews urged the board to defer to the HOA’s governing documents and argued the property owners were warned when they built the house that large hangars could not fit. Several neighbors spoke in favor of the variance, telling the board hangars closer to Greenbrier already exist and describing the neighborhood as an aviation community.

Applicant counsel John Schmidt said the applicant holds an ARC approval dated Aug. 23, 2024, which the applicant maintains is valid for 360 days, and said the POA’s latest letter of non-support was submitted two days before the hearing. Schmidt told the board the applicant is prepared to coordinate further with the POA if necessary.

After hearing testimony from the applicant, staff and public, a motion to approve the variance carried. The board’s minutes recorded the motion as approved unanimously; the transcript provided did not include a roll-call tally. The resolution number used in staff materials was PZABR2025-1.

Next steps: The applicant must secure any required building permits and any approvals or releases required by the Aero Club POA; staff noted the POA can enforce covenants independently of the village’s land-use approvals.