ZBA grants 10‑foot setback variance for proposed Ford Road fueling station with drive‑through

The Garden City Zoning Board of Appeals on Jan. 28 approved a 10‑foot setback variance to allow a proposed fueling station and convenience store with a drive‑through at 31406 Ford Road, contingent on additional planning and county/MDOT approvals.

City planning staff described the site as two adjacent lots at the northwest corner of Ford and Merriman roads, roughly 29,125 square feet, currently a vacant unimproved lot. The Zoning Ordinance requires a 40‑foot setback from any adjacent residential property for fueling‑station buildings; the applicant proposes a building located 30 feet from the west property line and requested a 10‑foot variance.

Staff said the design was reduced in size after Planning Commission feedback and that site configuration (building placement, pump canopy and access points) led to the requested setback; staff recommended approval after weighing practical difficulty, finding the layout needed for a functioning drive‑through and fueling operation and noting mitigation measures such as a six‑foot masonry screening wall and additional interior landscaping to reduce noise and visual impacts on the adjacent residence.

An architect and applicant representative summarized work with utility companies and county engineers, saying the owner paid approximately $32,000 to relocate a pole and that the revised design limited approaches to the site (one primary entrance on Merriman, right‑turn exit on Ford) to meet county and MDOT access constraints.

Written comments read into the record opposed the project. Shannon Murray urged the commission to prioritize redevelopment of vacant parcels rather than building on green space; Paula Barker of Crowder Street said she feared increased traffic, bright lights and declining property values and asked the board to deny the application. Mike Hagedorn, who spoke in favor, said the site has been vacant for decades and that the applicant had addressed planning concerns.

After deliberation about traffic, curb cuts, county and MDOT requirements and screening measures, the board moved and seconded a motion to grant the 10‑foot variance. The roll call produced four affirmative votes and the chair announced the variance was approved. Board members emphasized that the approval does not substitute for required Planning Commission site‑plan approvals, county and state permitting or any required traffic studies.

The applicant said the building will be designed to minimize impacts on the adjacent home and that fueling activity is oriented to the commercial side of the lot; the project will next proceed to Planning Commission and county/MDOT review for final site access and construction permits.