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Planning commission approves setback variance for garage at 114 Piedra Loop
Summary
The Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 12 approved a variance reducing the side-yard setback at 114 Piedra Loop from 25 to 14.5 feet to allow replacement of an existing garage. Staff recommended approval and the motion passed on roll call.
On Nov. 12, 2025, the Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission approved VAR20250016, a variance to reduce the required 25-foot side-yard setback to 14.5 feet at 114 Piedra Loop in White Rock to allow a replacement garage and workshop.
Danielle Valdez, planning manager for the Community Development Department, presented the staff report and recommended approval. Valdez told the commission the replacement would add about 1,460 square feet of building area for a two-car garage with an RV bay and an attached music room/workshop, and that the proposed lot coverage (about 4,829 square feet, roughly 5.54% of the lot) remains below the 10% allowance for the residential agricultural (RA) zone. She said drainage mitigation will be required at the building-permit stage and that the Interdepartmental Review Committee reviewed the application on Sept. 25, 2025, with no issues. "Staff finds that the criteria has been satisfied," Valdez said.
Chair read the quasi‑judicial hearing procedures and applicable decision criteria under Chapter 16 of the Los Alamos County development code; applicants Philip and Monica Knoll were sworn for the record but offered no extended testimony beyond identification. After the staff analysis and brief commissioner questions about the setback map and proposed footprint, an unidentified commissioner moved to approve the staff-recommended findings. The motion was seconded and passed on roll call. The recorded votes were: Brown — yes; Nochley (recorded as Nockley in the roll call) — yes; Adler — yes; Hill — yes; Easton — yes.
The chair read the appeals information after the decision, noting that actions of the commission may be appealed within 15 calendar days under section 16‑72(g)(5)(a) of the development code. The commission authorized the chair to sign findings of fact and conclusions of law, which staff will prepare.
Meeting materials and the staff report contain the full technical analysis and exhibit list; staff noted that public notice requirements were met and that the variance was recommended based on findings that the proposed replacement is code compliant, preserves neighborhood patterns, and is the minimum deviation necessary to allow reasonable use.
The commission moved on to a separate variance request and department reports later in the meeting.
