Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking Relief Ev topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Owner seeks parking-setback relief to install EV charging pad; committee declines to send solicitor to Zoning Hearing Board
Summary
A homeowner asked Westchester's Smart Growth Committee for relief from a five-foot rear setback so they can add a 10x24 gravel parking pad with an electric-vehicle charger at 304 West Lafayette St.; staff said similar alley parking exists, and the committee voted 3-0 not to direct the solicitor to attend the zoning hearing.
Joe Franklin, owner of 304 West Lafayette Street, asked the Smart Growth Committee Nov. 12 for relief from Chapter 112-602(L) parking requirements to install a 10-by-24-foot gravel parking pad and an electric-vehicle charging station. Franklin said the requested pad would sit roughly at a zero- to two-foot offset from the alley, short of the 5-foot rear-setback requirement; he said adjoining properties already have similar alley parking pads.
Zoning staff and committee members examined alley width, sight lines and precedent. The zoning officer said the proposed pad would meet requirements except for the rear-setback and did not recommend requiring solicitor review. Multiple attendees noted that roughly 75% of parcels along that alley have rear parking pads. After discussion, the committee recorded a 3-0 consensus to "say no solicitor recommendation," meaning the committee declined to direct the borough solicitor to attend the upcoming Zoning Hearing Board for the variance request.
Why it matters: the requested variance would allow a homeowner to install an electric-vehicle charging station closer to the alley than current code allows; the outcome affects how many alley properties can convert rear yards to parking and where EV infrastructure may be sited. The committee did not make a final zoning decision; the applicant may proceed to the Zoning Hearing Board with or without a solicitor present at the board hearing.
