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Property owner tells council tenants face displacement after variance denial on duplex at 702 Columbia St.
Summary
A property owner told St. Marys council that a denied variance may force two households from a duplex at 702 Columbia Street to move; council members said they will investigate but noted the variance was denied over parking concerns and offered no guarantee of a different outcome.
A property owner identified as Caitlin told St. Marys City Council that she purchased 702 Columbia Street believing it was a legal duplex with separate meters and two kitchens, only to be informed after tenants were in place that a variance had been denied and that she should seek recognition of a legal nonconforming use.
Caitlin said she now houses two households: a single mother with four children and a couple with newborn twins. She said the tenants face eviction not for safety or overcrowding reasons but because of zoning technicalities that were not made clear at the time of purchase. Caitlin said she was denied a variance and was told the zoning board's denial was based on concerns about additional parking.
Council members acknowledged the situation and said they would look into the matter. One council member noted the variance hearing produced parking-related objections and that there are no guarantees the decision will be reversed. Council did not adopt any immediate relief or a motion to intervene in the zoning board's decision during the meeting.
Caitlin said she is preparing records and documentation to seek recognition of the property's legal nonconforming use before the zoning board; the council encouraged documentation gathering but made no commitment to overturn the zoning board outcome at this meeting.
