Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking Setback topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board grants parking-setback variance to South Bowers Fire Company to preserve lot and allow sign
Summary
Kent County's Board of Adjustment approved a variance Dec. 18 allowing existing parking at South Bowers Fire Company to remain about 3 feet from a residential property line (instead of the code-required 15 feet). The board cited the long-standing volunteer fire company use and lack of neighbor objections.
Kent County's Board of Adjustment on Dec. 18 granted Application A-25-34, a variance to legalize existing parking at the South Bowers Fire Company that sits approximately 3 feet 3 inches from a residential side property line, relaxing the 15-foot setback required by county code.
Jack Potter, who identified himself as chairman of the fire company's board of directors, testified the parking area has existed for roughly a decade to nearly two decades and that the department needs the spaces for fundraising and community events. "We want to put an electronic sign up there ... The public will be able to see it, and it's important to us," Potter said, explaining the sign and related improvements depend on resolving the parking-setback issue.
Staff told the board the site plan originally approved in 2009 allowed a 10-foot setback, but the current pavement is at 3 feet 3 inches from the property line. Staff explained that restoring full compliance would require removing roughly 6.5 feet of paved edge in places, which would materially reduce usable parking stalls. The board weighed the fire company's operational needs, the wooded buffer between the site and neighboring properties, the absence of opposition testimony, and the historical use of the lot.
A board member moved to grant a 12-foot variance to permit parking 3 feet from the residential line; the motion was seconded and passed 5'to'1, with one member voting no. The board's decision enables the fire company to proceed with necessary administrative site-plan updates and then pursue a permit for the proposed sign.
Why it matters: The variance preserves parking capacity used by a volunteer emergency services provider and clears a permitting obstacle to installing an electronic sign the company says is essential for public notices and fundraising.
Next steps: Staff indicated the applicants must complete any administrative site-plan updates and permitting for the sign after the variance is recorded and the board's decision mailed to the applicant.
