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Neighbor concerns and septic questions prompt BZA to continue Naparella accessory‑apartment request
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Summary
The BZA continued Christy Naparella’s request for an accessory apartment after staff reported outstanding septic and building‑code items and an adjacent neighbor asked the board to consider conditions on rentals, parking and safety; board directed staff to draft potential conditions and return in April.
The Clinton County Area Board of Zoning Appeals continued an application from Christy Naparella for an accessory apartment in an existing outbuilding after staff said the health department and the applicant had new information to work through and a neighbor raised several concerns.
Staff told the board the accessory structure had partial interior work begun by a prior owner and that the new owner had proactively contacted staff; the building will need to meet residential building code and the county needs a septic plan the health department deems workable before approval. The county’s planner said recent soil information arrived the morning of the meeting and recommended giving the applicant time to work with the health department and an installer to determine whether a compliant septic system can be installed.
Neighbor Dawn McMains, who lives adjacent to the property, said she is not opposed to the current family use but asked the board to consider guardrails to prevent future short‑term or nonfamily rentals, and to address parking and easement access. "So, obviously, I'm not concerned because I met their son... but I would be concerned if it was sold or if they rent it to someone else outside of their family member," McMains said.
Staff explained that accessory‑apartment approvals require an owner to live on the parcel and that the county does not have an outright prohibition on renting a single‑family dwelling on a short‑term basis; however, staff suggested the board could impose a minimum lease length or landscaping/parking buffers as an enforceable condition rather than try to draft a condition that would require proving family relationships (which staff said is difficult to enforce). Staff also noted building‑code issues — for example, a second‑story exterior door without a deck must be addressed in permitting.
Board members said they were sympathetic to neighbor concerns but reiterated that the presence of unresolved septic or health‑department approval is a gating issue. The board voted unanimously to continue the Naparella application to the April 28 meeting and directed staff to revise the staff report with proposed, enforceable conditions for board consideration.
What the board asked staff to do • Work with the applicant and the Clinton County Health Department to produce a septic plan and installer input that demonstrates the site can support the accessory apartment. • Draft potential conditions that are practical to enforce (examples discussed: a minimum lease length to limit short‑term turnover; a parking/landscape buffer to address neighbor sightlines and safety). • Circulate the revised staff report and proposed conditions to neighbors and the applicant before the April 28 meeting.
The board set the continued hearing for April 28 at 6 p.m.
