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Board approves backyard pool at 60 Gulf Oval after finding net lot‑coverage will fall
Summary
The Board approved a zoning variance to install a 14×30 pool at 60 Gulf Oval, where the applicant said removing an existing patio will reduce net lot coverage; staff said pools are not counted as impervious surface (only coping), so no additional stormwater mitigation was required.
The Springfield Township Board of Adjustment on Sept. 16 approved a zoning variance for a backyard pool at 60 Gulf Oval after finding the project reduces net lot coverage by removing an existing patio.
Benjamin Bier, who was sworn and testified at the meeting, said the 14‑by‑30 pool will be installed after removal of a stone patio and other decking; he said the change will lower the home’s lot coverage from roughly the mid‑40s to about 39 percent. “So our end product is actually gonna be less lot coverage than our original,” Bier said.
Town staff and the board’s planner reviewed zoning and pool rules and clarified that the pool water surface is treated as pervious for lot‑coverage calculations and that only the coping around the pool counts as new coverage. “By definition, the pool does not count as a lot coverage element… the only new coverage is the coping around the pool,” a staff member said.
Bier said the pool will be set back at least 15 feet from property lines and will include a locking, non‑see‑through fence for privacy and safety. A nearby neighbor, Michael Karp, spoke in support. After board discussion about setbacks, fencing and the reduction of impervious area, a member moved to approve and the motion passed.
The board’s approval allows the applicant to pursue building permits and requires that installed elements conform to the setback, fence and pool ordinance requirements discussed at the hearing.
