Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Setback Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board grants setback and sidewalk waivers for High Touch Homes at 241 Woodside Avenue
Summary
The Vermilion Board of Zoning Appeals approved three variances for a new house at 241 Woodside Ave on March 25: front setback to 14.29 ft, rear setback to 25.3 ft, and a sidewalk waiver; board warned a future city sidewalk program could still require sidewalks.
Representatives for High Touch Homes asked the Vermilion Board of Zoning Appeals on March 25 for three variances tied to a replacement house at 241 Woodside Avenue; the board approved the requested front- and rear-yard setbacks and granted a temporary sidewalk waiver, while cautioning that the property could be required to install a sidewalk if the city adopts a broader sidewalk program in the future.
Phil Dobrowski, who said the project site is 241 Woodside Avenue, told the board that the previous house on the lot was demolished after a tree made the structure unsound. "We're here for 3 different variances," Dobrowski said, and explained the new house's footprint will be about 75 square feet larger than the prior structure. John Kekley, present as a project representative, spoke with Dobrowski during the presentation.
A board member outlined the variances considered: a front-yard setback reduction from the code-required 20 feet to 14.29 feet (about a 5.71-foot difference), a rear-yard setback from 30 feet to 25.3 feet (about a 4.7-foot change), and a sidewalk variance allowing the board to waive immediate sidewalk construction. The member cautioned that sidewalk waivers are conditioned on existing neighborhood context and do not preclude a future municipal sidewalk program from obligating the property owners to install sidewalks later: "If the city comes up with a sidewalk program, that would not exclude you from that," the member said.
Applicants said they had not received neighbor objections. The board found the demolition and reconstruction context supported a hardship finding for the setback relief and moved to approve the variances; the motion was seconded and approved. The building department will be notified and usual permitting steps will follow.
The board set no additional special-bonding condition on sidewalks at the time of approval but advised applicants to expect that a city-led sidewalk program could change obligations in the future.
