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Mesquite board approves oversized rear carport and setback variance at 2405 Shiloh Lane
Summary
The Mesquite Board of Adjustment granted a special exception to allow a 640-square-foot rear carport and approved a paired variance reducing the required 8-foot alley setback by 2 feet for the property at 2405 Shiloh Lane, voting 4–0 on both items despite staff recommending denial of the variance.
The City of Mesquite Board of Adjustment voted March 27 to approve a special exception and a variance for a rear accessory structure at 2405 Shiloh Lane.
Tiara Clark, the city’s staff planner, told the board the applicant had applied for a special exception to allow an accessory structure larger than the 500-square-foot maximum and a variance to allow the structure to encroach 2 feet into the required 8-foot setback from the rear alley. Clark said the proposed carport measures roughly 633 square feet (staff referenced a 640-square-foot total) and that one side of the carport meets the 8-foot setback while the other side measured about 6.8 feet because of a curved alley.
"Because the structure can be built differently, it is staff's opinion that they will not qualify for a variance," Clark said, recommending approval of the special exception but recommending denial of the variance under the Mesquite Zoning Ordinance standards.
Property owner Christy See, who spoke for the applicants, said aligning the carport with a proposed fence would improve security and that reducing the carport depth would cause practical hardship for the household. "My husband's pickup is 19 feet long ... he needs a little room to be able to get groceries and things out of the back of his pickup," she said, arguing a shorter carport would be burdensome.
Board member Aiken moved to grant the special exception; the motion passed 4–0. Aiken then moved to grant the variance to reduce the garage-door-facing setback; after a second the board approved the variance 4–0, overriding staff’s recommendation.
The board’s approval allows a rear carport larger than the 500-square-foot by-right limit and permits the reduced alley setback for the garage door area. The chair noted that approvals are not official until filed with the board’s office and described appeal and reconsideration procedures under the Mesquite ordinance and state code.
The board handled the special exception and variance as separate votes, as required by the agenda.
Next steps for the applicants include filing the board’s decision in the board office and pursuing any required building permits; staff noted the applicant may request extensions if needed but that approvals generally expire 180 days after filing unless a building permit or certificate of occupancy is issued.
