The Norwalk Zoning Board of Appeals voted Dec. 18 to approve a conditional front-setback variance for property owner Eva Zhang at 8 Belmont Place, permitting a revised two-and-a-half-story side addition with an integral garage and limited front-setback parking to enable safe access.

The board agreed to a 20-foot front-setback as the condition for approval, a compromise between the 30-foot setback required by code and Zhang’s revised proposal that places the addition 16.9 feet from the front property line. The board cited topographic constraints, limited rear access and uncertainty about nearby Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) land as reasons to limit the relief to the minimum necessary.

“I know that you wanted to widen the driveway and DOT has the rights to much of the driveway. Did you contact them?” a commissioner asked during questioning; the applicant said the driveway work would not widen the DOT-owned parcel and that the plan could be staged if DOT approval for additional frontage is required.

Zhang told the board, “Our house currently sits, legally nonconforming at 11.6 feet,” and described interior constraints—moving the addition to meet the code would require removing essential living spaces on the first floor—and rear-site and ledge-rock conditions that make pushing the addition farther back impractical.

Board members emphasized maneuverability: several commissioners said 20 feet was needed to allow a car to back out of the garage and turn without creating hazards. One commissioner said forcing a 30-foot setback could require 8–10 feet of excavation in the rear and possibly create problems for adjacent properties.

The public hearing drew no public speakers. The board closed the hearing and approved the variance with the condition that the front setback be 20 feet and that limited paving and parking in the front setback to access the garage be permitted only as described in the applicant’s revised plan.

Next steps: the applicant may refine construction drawings and obtain required permits; the board recorded the decision at the meeting and will include any city permitting conditions in the approval file.