Hilliard Board of Zoning Appeals approves variances for four properties

The Hilliard Board of Zoning Appeals on May 21 approved variances for four properties, granting relief from rear-yard, landscape and maneuvering-lane, pool-location and front-yard requirements with conditions recommended by city staff.

City staff opened the meeting’s substantive agenda with a presentation on a Silverwoods Lane residence seeking a rear-yard variance for a deck and pergola. Staff said the property contains a 15-foot easement along the rear property line and that the proposed structures would be at least 19 feet from that easement, and recommended approval with limits on the deck and pergola footprint and a requirement that required permits be obtained. "Staff finds the proposed variance to reduce the minimum rear yard for a new deck and pergola is generally aligned with the spirit and intent of the zoning code," a staff member told the board. Applicant Spencer Alt said, "It's gonna be a beautiful product," and confirmed he had read and accepted the recommended conditions. A motion to approve the variance carried 6-0.

The board next considered an application by the Moose Lodge for a level B site plan and several variances at 3898 Latimer Street. Staff summarized the planning commission's recommendation for conditional use and said the site plan meets the minimum on-site parking proposed (73 vehicle spaces, 4 motorcycle spaces and 20 bicycle spaces) while noting one 20-foot two-way aisle on the plan where the code calls for 24 feet and existing perimeter landscaping that does not meet current width requirements. "We received a letter today raising parking concerns," a staff member said; staff nonetheless recommended approval with conditions to bring the site into compliance. Matt VanVleet, vice president of the Moose, said the lodge is growing and that the covered patio addition is the primary change. The board read and approved a motion to grant multiple variances (including reduced rear-yard setback, reduced perimeter landscape width, reduced maneuvering lane width and elimination of a truck loading space for this lodge use) with staff recommendations; the motion carried 6-0.

For a corner lot on Glenwater Lane, staff described a variance request to allow a pool that, because of plat setbacks, would fall into a front/side yard. Staff recommended approval with conditions specifying setbacks (pool and decking at least 10 feet from the rear property line and 25 feet from the Darby Road right-of-way) and additional planting where appropriate. Applicant Joel Vertenen said the property owner plans Arborvitae and other screening and offered to work with staff to ensure privacy: "we're willing to do to make sure that it's private and is not just a pool sitting on the corner of the Derby," he said. The board approved the variance 6-0.

The final zoning case was a front-porch addition on Turner Lane that would encroach roughly 1.5 feet into the step-back line because of a curved right-of-way. Staff recommended approval and encouraged a seven-foot-deep porch for function and neighborhood compatibility. Contractor Bridal Heflin, owner of Bryant Restorations, said the addition is intended to provide shade and an outdoor place for the homeowner and his niece and that finishes will match the existing home. The board approved the variance under the Brookfield Village PUD concept plan 6-0.

Votes at a glance - EZA-26-10 (Catawba residence, Silverwoods Lane): Approved (motion carried 6-0). Staff recommended conditions limiting deck/pergola floor area and requiring permits. - BZA-26-11 (Moose Lodge, 3898 Latimer Street): Approved (motion carried 6-0). Motion granted multiple variances including reduced landscape width and maneuvering-lane width; approval included staff conditions. - BZA-26-13 (Vernon Residence, 4151 Glenwater Lane): Approved (motion carried 6-0). Conditions include setback requirements and recommended screening. - BZA-26-14 (Resili Residence, 5736 Turner Lane): Approved (motion carried 6-0). Front-yard setback reduced to allow a porch addition per the PUD concept plan.

City staff also announced a public open house on the draft Hilliard housing study, scheduled for Thursday, May 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, and asked that public comments be submitted via the housing study dashboard by the close of the day on May 28. With no further business the board adjourned.