Board grants front-yard setback variance for rebuild that adds basement

The Vermilion Board of Zoning Appeals voted Feb. 25 to grant a front-yard setback variance for a house reconstruction on the Cairo site that will include a basement. The applicant’s representative said the project retains the existing footprint but adds a basement, and the board determined that the footprint — not the addition of a basement — is the relevant zoning measure.

A motion to grant a variance under the RS zoning provisions (code section 12.70.09 e2a) for a front-yard depth requirement (requested approximately a 19-foot variance) was made and seconded. The board recorded affirmative votes from Gaskell, Brascis, Fultz and Connor; the motion carried.

A family member spoke in support, and the board clarified that a basement alone would not change the required footprint analysis under city zoning. The board’s action allows the applicant to proceed with the rebuild subject to standard permit review and any building-department conditions.

The board did not attach additional conditions at the meeting. The applicant must apply for and receive applicable building permits before work begins, and the board’s variance applies only to the cited front-yard depth provision.