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Board approves second‑floor addition at 436 Detroit Ave.; owners cite growing family needs
Summary
The zoning board approved a 678‑square‑foot floor‑area variance for a two‑story addition over an attached garage at 436 Detroit Ave., with the homeowners saying the extra space will accommodate family needs including childcare and visiting relatives.
Royal Oak’s board approved a floor‑area variance that lets a homeowner add roughly 678 square feet to the house at 436 Detroit Avenue, expanding the usable floor area above the existing garage.
Staff (speaker 6) explained the city’s single‑family zone caps usable floor area at 3,500 square feet and that the proposed change would raise the house to about 4,178 square feet. Petitioner Dan Teff (speaker 15) said the project is intended to add flexible family space and a second‑floor area for occasional relatives and childcare support; he told the board his wife is an ER physician and the couple expects a baby.
Board members asked whether the addition could become a separate dwelling or accessory unit in the future. Teff said there was no intent to create a long‑term accessory dwelling and that access will be internal; neighbors immediately adjacent to the property signed letters of support, the petitioner said.
Members debated alternatives and whether a reduced variance would be possible, but several members cited the lot’s dimensions, the existing garage placement and neighborhood context. The board voted in favor of the variance by a 5–4 margin.
The petitioners may proceed with building permits subject to usual plan review and inspections. The board recorded neighbors’ support and noted the addition will be mostly in the rear and not change the house’s street‑facing character.
