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Goshen City approves use variance to allow attached second dwelling at 611 N. Green St.
Summary
Officials approved a use variance allowing an attached roughly 780‑sq‑ft second dwelling unit at 611 North Green Street (R‑1 zone) for aging family use, with staff recommending conditions and discussion focusing on enforceability and owner‑occupancy options.
A Goshen City panel approved a use variance to allow an addition that would create a second dwelling unit at 611 North Green Street, a property zoned R‑1 where single‑family homes are the standard use.
Staff reported the property is a single‑family home on approximately 2 acres, with an attached four‑stall garage and a long driveway; the proposed rear addition would be attached by a breezeway and is roughly 780 square feet. Staff recommended approval, noting the lot is large enough and that the addition would meet setbacks and parking requirements.
The applicant, who identified himself as "Steve Clang" and said he lives at 611 North Green Road, told the panel the addition is intended to house aging family members and make the home more handicap accessible. "My wife and I plan on living there for as long as we possibly can," the applicant said, adding they have no present plans to rent the unit.
Committee members and staff discussed whether to require one of the units to be owner‑occupied or to limit the number of renting parties on the lot as a condition of the variance. A committee member suggested a condition limiting renting parties to one on the entire lot; staff advised owner‑occupancy is an easier standard to verify and enforce than tracking rental arrangements.
Neighbors contacted by staff (including a Stephen ***** of 610 Revere and Linda Roy of 702 North Green) expressed no concern, and the panel voted to approve the request with the staff‑recommended conditions and commitments. The motion passed by voice vote.
The decision includes the conditions recommended by staff; members discussed enforceability and declined to add a burdensome rental‑tracking requirement, favoring conditions that are simpler to verify. The panel then adjourned.
