Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Zoning board denies Inglewood accessory-structure variance after tied votes
Loading...
Summary
The San Angelo Zoning Board of Adjustment denied a variance request for an accessory structure at 3942 Inglewood Drive after failing to reach the six-vote threshold; the owner said AEP recommended a 4-foot setback to avoid overhead lines while staff said no special circumstances were evident.
The San Angelo Zoning Board of Adjustment on Feb. 10 declined to grant a variance to allow a 24-by-24 accessory structure at 3942 Inglewood Drive after two separate motions split 3–3, leaving the application short of the six affirmative votes required to approve a variance.
Austin Rees, senior planner, told the board the lot is in an RS-2 zoning district and the request seeks a 4-foot rear setback instead of the required 20 feet and a 2-foot side setback instead of the required 5 feet. Rees said staff found no clear special circumstances tied to the zoning criteria and noted the simplest compliance path would be to maintain a 10-foot separation from the house or alter the building’s footprint.
The property owner, Ramon Ramon, said the parcel’s trapezoid shape and an overhead electrical easement constrained siting options. "I'm just trying to get this thing to work," Ramon said, describing multiple conversations with the utility (AEP) and city inspectors and saying AEP indicated a 4-foot clearance at the alley would be acceptable.
Board members debated whether the lot’s unusual shape and the utility easement qualified as a special circumstance under the zoning ordinance. Mason moved to deny the requested size in favor of a smaller structure; that motion produced a 3–3 split and failed to reach the required six affirmative votes. A later motion to approve the variance produced the same 3–3 result. The chair said the variance therefore fails for lack of the necessary six yes votes.
The board’s decision leaves the owner the option to redesign the accessory building to meet the 10-foot separation standard or pursue a different configuration that would not require a variance. The record shows staff advised that structures with a 10-foot separation would not need the variances discussed.
