Planning commission recommends 1-foot side-yard variance, sends case to council

The Orange Village Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend that the Village Council approve an approximately 1-foot variance into the front-corner side yard for an addition to an existing house, saying the geometry error was inherited and discovered by a surveyor after initial drawings proved incorrect.

A planner presented the case and said the house is not square to the property line and ‘‘due to that little angle, the front corner needs a 1-foot variance.’’ Commissioners characterized the request as a de minimis practical-difficulty variance and said the owner had not caused the condition.

Commissioners also confirmed the homeowner had sought site-plan approval and that vegetation and aesthetic screening tied to the project would be reviewed administratively as part of the site-plan process. The planner said neighbors were notified and no written correspondence had been received.

After brief discussion and a motion to recommend approval to council, the commission called the question and recorded the affirmative votes; staff advised the applicant to appear before council at the next meeting for final action. The planner noted, ‘‘that would be part of the site plan approval,’’ and said administrative review of plantings would follow.

The commission’s recommendation is advisory; final approval rests with the Village Council at its upcoming meeting.