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Petitioners request variance to place modular home at 357 Melton Road; public hearing set for Jan. 27
Summary
Petitioners Melissa and Chad Ralph asked the BZA for a use variance for 357 Melton Road to allow placement of a modular home and a 24-by-30 pole barn; staff scheduled a formal public hearing for Jan. 27 at 6:00 p.m. and instructed petitioners on ownership authorization and notification requirements.
Petitioners Melissa and Chad Ralph told the Board of Zoning Appeals they seek a use variance for 357 Melton Road after a recent house fire left them needing to place a modular manufactured home on the RC2-zoned lot. They asked the board to allow the residential placement and a 24-by-30 pole barn/garage.
Melissa Ralph said they currently live in Lake Station and had a house fire; she told the board, “We are just wanting to… we had a house fire. We’ve been placed out here in the border for the last few months. We want to move out here.” The petitioners said they have selected a home through Champions Homes.
Staff and board members clarified procedural requirements: because the petitioners did not (initially) own the property, staff said the owner must either sign the petition paperwork or formally grant power of attorney so the petitioners can proceed; staff agreed to provide the authorization form. Staff also explained that the variance, if granted, would be limited to residential use only — future nonresidential uses would require a separate variance. Officials emphasized that a later buyer of the property would need to seek a new variance if they wanted a different use.
The board set a formal public hearing for Jan. 27 at 6:00 p.m.; the petitioners were instructed to send required notice cards to neighbors. Realtor Piazza Johnson asked how the hearing would proceed and staff described the sequence: supporters speak first, opponents next, then the board deliberates.
What happens next: the case will be heard at the Jan. 27 public hearing, where members of the public may speak for or against the petition; the board will then deliberate and issue a decision.
