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Vermilion board approves multiple residential variances for setbacks, fences and driveways
Summary
At its regular meeting the Vermilion Board & Commissions approved several residential zoning variances — including setback relief for an addition at 464 Ash St., a corner-lot shed and 6-foot fence at 687 Ferndale Ave., and a waiver of sidewalk and approval of a gravel driveway for a new house on Brownhounds Station Road.
The Vermilion Board & Commissions on Thursday approved a series of residential zoning variances after hearing presentations from property owners and their representatives.
The board voted to grant setback relief to Trinity Contracting Group for an addition at 464 Ash Street. Richard May Shaw, presenting for Trinity, clarified the side-yard measurement sought was 3 feet 2½ inches and that the requested rear-yard relief equated to roughly a 21-foot 3½-inch variance. After discussion and a second, the motion passed with recorded affirmative votes.
John Woodruff described plans to replace an existing shed on the same footprint at 687 Ferndale Ave. and to reinstall a 6-foot fence that the city treats as a front-yard fence because the lot is on a corner. Woodruff said the shed will sit on the existing concrete pad and the taller fence will match the neighbor’s chain-link appearance. The board granted variances for the utility building location and the fence height.
Keith Wardley, representing property owner Gary Cecil, asked the board to waive the requirement for a concrete driveway apron and a sidewalk for a new house on Brownhounds Station Road, citing the property’s 62-foot setback and a desire to preserve the area’s rural character. A public commenter said several nearby homes had gravel or stone driveways for years before installing paved aprons. The board waived the sidewalk requirement and later approved a variance to allow a gravel driveway; the record shows one board member voted against the gravel-driveway motion.
Other applicants — including Ronald and Rose Green, who sought permission for a 24-by-36 garage, and a speaker who identified as Kent Swept Stone seeking a single-level, ADA-accessible footprint — presented site constraints such as wet ground, utility-line routing and accessibility needs. The board discussed how the requested variances interact with code limits and granted the measures that were before it.
Board members highlighted that three affirmative votes of the four-member panel are required for action to pass. The chair reminded podium speakers to state their name and address for the record and administered an oath to those speaking during the meeting.
The board scheduled its next combined November/December meeting for Dec. 9 at 6 p.m.
