Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Planning commission grants variance to shrink front setback for Delmar Hills garage replat
Loading...
Summary
The commission approved a replat and granted a variance reducing the front‑yard setback from 30 to 23.5 feet to allow remodeling of an existing garage the applicant said cannot accommodate modern vehicles, after commissioners found the lot irregularity and hardship warranted relief.
The City of Laredo Planning and Zoning Commission voted Feb. 18 to approve a replat of Lot 1400, Block 85 in Delmar Hills and to grant a variance reducing the front‑yard setback from 30 feet to 23.5 feet.
Applicant representative Ricardo Villarreal explained the replat is needed so the owner can remodel a garage built in the mid‑1980s that is too small for modern SUVs. Villarreal said the owner had obtained letters in favor and that the irregular lot geometry constrains reasonable expansion to the side or rear.
Commission discussion focused on the ordinance’s variance criteria: undue hardship, unusual physical characteristics and planning‑land‑use considerations. One commissioner described the condition as a practical hardship tied to vehicle dimensions and the lot’s irregular shape. The commission moved to approve the final plat and to grant the variance after members concluded that the irregular lot and inability to reasonably use the existing garage satisfied the ordinance criteria.
Staff noted the ordinance requires specific findings be made and included in the minutes; commissioners asked that the minutes reflect why the variance criteria were met. The commission approved the motion by voice vote and directed staff to record the required findings in the meeting minutes.
The replat and variance approval allow the applicant to pursue building permits consistent with the approved setback and platting conditions.
