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Dublin board approves four variances for Deer Run Kaufman residence
Summary
The Dublin Board of Zoning Appeals approved four nonuse-area variances for a proposed single-family home at 4700 Deer Run Drive, allowing deviations for roof pitch, window trim, combined garage-door width (36 ft → 38 ft) and a detached garage placed forward of the primary dwelling. Staff recommended approval of three variances and disapproval of the garage-width variance; the board approved all four.
The Dublin Board of Zoning Appeals voted at its meeting to approve four nonuse-area variances for a proposed single-family home at 4700 Deer Run Drive in the Deer Run Planned Unit Development.
Planner Tori Brubaker told the board the application seeks four variances: modified roof pitches for secondary architectural features; window trim narrower than the 3.5 inches called for in the residential appearance code; combined garage-door openings totaling 38 feet (the code allows 36 feet); and permission for a detached garage to sit forward of the primary dwelling. Brubaker said the roughly 5-acre site lies within Deer Run Estates and has significant floodplain and mature vegetation, which affect building placement and visibility. "Planning recommends approval of variance request number 1 and 2 for the minimum roof pitch and minimum window trim as they meet the criteria," she said, adding that planning recommended disapproval of the combined garage-door width because it does not meet the intent of the code and could grant special privileges.
The applicant, Jeff Memmert of Memmert Homes, described the house as a large, site-specific design that responds to steep topography and view corridors. He said the garage configuration — one 8-foot door and three 10-foot doors, totaling 38 feet — was chosen for visual proportion and daily maneuverability, and that most garage doors will be screened by vegetation or other garage massing. "I don't know if you guys have had a chance to be out there to the property, but I don't think I have seen a more beautiful lot," Memmert said, describing a steep cliff and floodplain constraints that limited siting options.
Board members asked staff to explain why garage-door width was analyzed differently from roof pitch and trim. Staff said that the residential appearance standards and the general development standards overlap; the 36-foot combined-door limit is listed under general development standards and typically applies to front-loaded garages, though staff indicated there is overlap and judgment in how the standards are applied.
After discussion — in which several members said the lot's extreme topography, screening and the house's scale supported some flexibility — the board took separate votes on each variance. Recorded responses show board members voting affirmatively on all four variances. Chair summarized the outcome: all four nonuse-area variances requested in case 25-120V were approved.
Votes at a glance: - Variance 1 (roof pitch): approved (affirmative votes recorded for the board members present). - Variance 2 (window trim under 3.5 inches): approved (affirmative votes recorded). - Variance 3 (combined garage-door openings greater than 36 feet — 38 feet requested): approved (affirmative votes recorded). - Variance 4 (detached garage forward of the primary dwelling): approved (affirmative votes recorded).
The board also postponed an unrelated administrative appeal (case 25-116AA, a fence matter at 7068 Anselmo Court, R-4 zoning) because the applicant was ill and requested a continuance. Staff noted the board’s next scheduled meeting is Feb. 26. The meeting was adjourned.
(Reporting notes: addresses, parcel sizes and code references are taken from the staff presentation; details not specified in the transcript — including exact future hearing dates for postponed items — are noted as not specified.)
