Board approves three‑part setback variance for narrow industrial lot at 0 Boyd Avenue

The Board of Adjustment granted variance petition 26‑VAN‑03 to allow a 40‑by‑60‑foot industrial building on a 50‑foot‑wide lot at 0 Boyd Avenue by reducing front and side setbacks to 5 feet.

Property owner Mark Powers, who identified himself for the record, said the 50‑by‑112.5‑foot lot yields an impractical 10‑foot buildable width under the city’s Industrial General District setbacks and that the requested relief is the minimum necessary to enable reasonable industrial use consistent with neighboring properties. Powers said the proposed building will be used for contractor storage and vehicle parking and will not store fuels on site.

Board members questioned notice practices (the public sign at the lot had apparently fallen or shown a different address), whether the proposed use could allow hazardous future uses, and how the reduced setbacks compare to adjacent properties. Staff explained that the ‘0’ address is how the county labels vacant lots and that the IGD allows a range of industrial uses; members noted the request matches patterns of small lots in older platted areas and recommended findings be tied to lot dimensions and surrounding context.

Following discussion, a motion to approve the variance, including the findings and proposed resolution, passed on a 5–0 roll‑call vote. The approval allows the reduced setbacks; building permits and compliance with site‑plan and development standards remain necessary before construction may proceed.

The record includes concerns about long‑term uses permitted in IGD (for example vehicle services or repair uses); staff noted those uses would still be subject to separate permitting and standards.