Wabash zoning board approves Kirbys' variance to add carport at 811 Berkeley Drive

The Wabash Board of Zoning Appeals on March 19 approved a variance allowing Homer and Rhonda Kirby to construct a 22-foot-by-20-foot carport at 811 Berkeley Drive that will sit approximately 10 feet from the front property line, short of the 20-foot front setback required by the zoning code.

The variance was approved after the board confirmed legal notice and mailings to properties within 300 feet had been completed and after staff explained that, with one member absent, petitioners would need three votes of the four members present to carry the application. The Kirbys opted to proceed rather than continue to a later meeting.

Homer Kirby told the board they wanted “a carport over our driveway” to cover their truck and said neighbors had been notified; a neighbor identified as Brenda was noted as having been contacted. Board members and the applicant discussed site photos, existing adjacent garages and fences, and how the carport would be secured after recent wind damage.

Doug, explaining the board’s voting process, described a ballot-based checklist the panel uses to make the required special findings — including impacts on traffic and public health — and said the signed ballots are kept on file at the building commissioner’s office.

After a motion to vote and completion of the ballot process, the chair announced that the variance request was approved unanimously by members present. The board did not record individual roll-call votes on the public record during the meeting; the building commissioner’s office retains the signed ballots for inspection.

The board moved on to the next agenda item after confirming the Kirbys may proceed with permitting consistent with the approved variance.

The board’s action applies only to the zoning variances discussed; any building permits must still meet code and permitting requirements enforced by the city’s building department.