The Galveston Zoning Board of Adjustment on Nov. 5 approved a variance to reduce the front setback at 4226 Mizone Rouge from 20 feet to 15 feet so the homeowner can build a deck addition that improves access for a resident who uses a mobility scooter.

City staff introduced Case 25Z018 and said the request is to allow a 5-foot reduction in the R-1 front setback to construct an expanded deck. Staff reported 23 public notices were mailed, three were returned and all three respondents were in favor, and there were no objections from city departments or private utilities. "This is the property as it stands today," staff said while entering a survey and a site plan into the record.

William Anderson, who identified himself as the contractor representing the owner, said the work is intended to give the resident clear access around structural posts that currently block passage. "He's in a mobility scooter... so we're trying to just extend the front 5 feet so that he can actually access that," Anderson said, adding the change expands the existing deck footprint and is not an enclosed living space.

Commissioners asked whether the regulation in question was a variance or exception and when the 20-foot setback was adopted; staff said the code was adopted in 2015. Commissioners also questioned whether the project would add pylons or an elevator and whether ramps would extend on multiple faces; Anderson said the design is a cantilever with minimal new supports and that the resident already has an elevator inside the house.

Commissioner (Speaker 6) moved to approve the variance, citing a mobility-related hardship and saying the request was the minimum relief necessary. Commissioners (Speakers 8 and 5) seconded. The board voted by voice and the motion passed; no opposing votes were recorded in the transcript. City staff will provide formal notification of the commission's action within 10 days.

The approval covers only the setback variance for the deck footprint described in the applicant exhibits and does not approve enclosed construction. Coastal Resources review was reported as complete for this scope of work, according to the applicant.

The zoning board did not record a numerical roll-call tally in the public record for this motion.