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Zoning board grants variances and special permit for addition at 20 Short Road
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals on April 15 approved a 55‑foot sideyard setback variance, a 149% area variance to expand a nonconforming structure, a bulk‑coverage variance and a special permit (section 165‑119) for an addition at 20 Short Road; the board declared the project a Type II action under SEQR and directed the applicants to the planning board.
The Zoning Board of Appeals voted April 15 to grant multiple variances and a special permit allowing an addition to a small, pre‑existing nonconforming house at 20 Short Road.
The board declared the project a Type II action under SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review), finding no further environmental review required. After that determination the board approved a 55‑foot sideyard setback variance, an area variance permitting a 149% expansion of the nonconforming structure (beyond the usual 25% allowance), a variance for increased bulk within the reduced sideyard setback, and the special permit authorized under section 165‑119 of the town code. The votes were taken by voice; the board recorded “motion carried” for each item without a roll‑call tally.
The applicants said the existing home is small (described in the hearing as under 1,000 square feet of original living area) and that the proposed addition — including finished basement and covered porches — raises the listed total to roughly 1,900 square feet. The board heard from a consultant that the septic location was identified by a local plumber and that AKRF, the consulting firm, raised no wetlands concerns. Board members noted the addition sits to the rear of the house, that lot coverage would rise from about 3.8% to 5.4% (still below the 10% maximum for the RR10 district), and that the proposed height would remain under the 35‑foot code limit.
A board member asked whether the propane tanks would be moved; the applicants replied they would be relocated where they are not visible, likely alongside the addition. The board also discussed a procedural precaution: members asked that the record reflect the board’s findings were based on the original square footage so that future owners could not treat this approval as a precedent for substantially larger development.
The board directed the applicants to proceed next to the planning board for any required site‑plan or subdivision review.
Actions at a glance - SEQR/Type II determination: moved and seconded; motion carried (voice vote). - Sideyard setback variance (55 ft): motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Expansion of nonconforming use (149% area variance): motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Bulk‑coverage variance within reduced sideyard setback: motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Special permit under section 165‑119 to allow expansion of nonconforming structure: motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote).
What happens next The ZBA approvals are final at the board level but do not eliminate subsequent planning‑board review or other town permitting steps; the applicants were instructed to take the approvals and appear before the planning board for required site‑level review.
