Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Use Variance Contracting Yard topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board postpones decision on contractor's request to use Decoy Drive property for equipment staging
Summary
The ZBA unanimously postponed a requested use variance to allow a contracting yard and outdoor staging at 1118 Decoy Drive, asking the applicant to submit a sketch plan for fencing, lighting, paving, parking, entry/exit and hours of operation before the board considers the request again.
The Bay City Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to postpone consideration of a use variance requested by Daniel B. (referred to in the record as Daniel BB) that would allow a contracting yard with indoor storage and limited outdoor staging of trucks and trailers at 1118 Decoy Drive.
Applicant Daniel BB told the board he is a general contractor and that the property would be used to store and stage trucks, trailers and job equipment; he said indoor storage would be primary and outdoor storage limited to vehicles tied to jobs. He told the board the building had been derelict when he purchased it and that he has already completed cleanup and basic repairs.
Neighbors spoke at the hearing. Property owner Alen Siver said the applicant is improving the building and noted local job creation: “He’s improving that place and he’s providing jobs for other people in Bay City,” he said. The board also heard from the applicant’s son, who described site cleanup and security concerns.
Commissioners said they were sympathetic to the applicant’s situation but flagged several unanswered operational questions — fencing and screening, paving and parking surface, ingress/egress and safety given proximity to a school field, hours of operation and lighting — that affect the board’s finding on whether a use variance is appropriate. Members asked for more detail so the board can weigh the statutory variance tests and potential conditions.
The board moved to postpone the variance pending submission of a sketch plan showing proposed lighting, fencing and screening, paving, parking, entry/exit configuration and hours of operation; the motion passed unanimously. Staff offered to meet the applicant on site and to advise on the sketch plan. The board noted that the case will return to the next regularly scheduled meeting when the applicant provides the requested materials.
Outcome: Postponed by unanimous vote; board specified requested materials to be submitted before rehearing.
