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Auburn BZA approves variance to allow sauna 3 feet from house at 2205 Spring Hill Drive
Summary
The Auburn Board of Zoning Adjustment voted 5–0 to approve a variance allowing a prefabricated sauna to sit three feet from the principal structure at 2205 Spring Hill Drive, after the applicant and staff cited a graywater leach field on the lot as the hardship.
The Auburn Board of Zoning Adjustment voted 5–0 to grant a variance that allows a homeowner at 2205 Spring Hill Drive to place a prefabricated sauna three feet from the principal structure, overriding the zoning ordinance’s usual 10-foot setback requirement.
The board approved variance BZA 2026001 after hearing testimony from the applicant, Mr. Hansen, who told the board he bought the lot when it was subdivided and that the property’s graywater leach field — a separate trench used for washing-machine effluent — is located where the applicant would otherwise site the sauna. “My wife does not wanna wander into the woods,” Hansen said, describing a practical reason he prefers the sauna near the house rather than routed through a wooded path.
Planning and engineering staff described the proposal and said the applicant’s chosen prefabricated unit could not be attached to the house in a way that would meet the ordinance’s definition of an attached structure. Staff identified the leach field as the stated hardship and noted that, while leach fields can be relocated, the lot’s dense clay soils and the need to dig new trenches make replacement more difficult and disruptive. A board member summarized the engineering concern: “Put something on top of that does not make practical sense,” reflecting worries about future maintenance if a slab or structure covers the leach field.
A health-department official identified as Scott told the board that the health department regulates septic systems and requires primary and secondary leach-field locations on plans; he said replacement typically requires excavation and is made more difficult if structures are in the way.
Board members debated whether the hardship was self-created and whether the sauna could be sited further from the house. One member said the land technically allowed locating the sauna farther from the home, even if that would be inconvenient. After discussion, a motion to approve the variance (BZA 2026001) was made and seconded. The roll-call vote recorded affirmative votes from Will Faulkner, Leticia Smith, Marty Heffern, Elizabeth Strand and Malcolm Daley; the motion carried 5–0.
The chair congratulated Hansen on the approval. The board had no further business and adjourned.
