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Summit zoning board approves McMillans’ steep‑slope plan for 230 Oak Ridge with conditions
Summary
The Summit Zoning Board granted a steep‑slope variance to Thomas and Allison McMillan for work at 230 Oak Ridge Avenue, approving disturbance of 3,600 sq ft (including 1,800 sq ft previously disturbed by city sewer work) with conditions requiring engineer/forester review of landscaping and standard compliance items.
The Summit Zoning Board of Adjustment voted Dec. 16 to approve a steep‑slope variance for Thomas and Allison McMillan at 230 Oak Ridge Avenue, permitting 3,600 square feet of disturbance tied to recent sewer replacement and proposed terracing, walkways and pool‑area work.
The board's attorney read two conditions before the vote: compliance with items listed in the board engineer’s memorandum and submission of a revised landscaping plan consistent with the approved site plan for review by the city forester and board engineer. The single C‑variance required four votes; the motion carried following executive‑session deliberations.
The applicants and their engineer, Andrew Clark, described how the city’s prior sewer work uncovered a sanitary line with as little as 12–14 inches of cover, prompting an easement and a replacement of that line. Clark said the replacement left steep‑slope areas disturbed and that the McMillans’ proposal restores stable cover over the pipe, adds terraced retaining walls and landscaping, and installs a new inlet and dry well to handle driveway runoff. “In the end, I think it’s gonna be a substantial improvement, especially with the landscaping that’s planned,” Clark told the board.
Board and professional questions focused on exact quantities of imported fill, the height and placement of proposed retaining walls, whether the plan preserves specific trees, and how the dry‑well system will handle stormwater. Clark estimated the project increases lot coverage by about 1,500 square feet and said the drainage design manages roughly 2,400 square feet of driveway area; he told the board the replaced pipe would have about 3–4 feet of cover once grading is complete.
The board discussed positive and negative criteria for the variance during executive session. Several members said the proposal addresses safety and stormwater concerns caused or exacerbated by the city’s earlier excavation, and they cited neighbor accommodations and the landscaping plan as mitigating factors. One member expressed caution about setting a precedent for extensive re‑grading of hillside yards but indicated support after assurances on tree retention and landscaping oversight.
The board’s approval includes the two attorney‑read conditions and the usual requirement that an as‑built survey and topography be submitted for the board engineer’s review. The board also reserved landscaping jurisdiction for two years, giving the city a window to ensure plantings establish and that screening promised to neighbors is maintained.
The board will file a written resolution of approval in the coming weeks; the chair said the standard resolution will be returned for administrative review around a month after the meeting.
