Waterford Zoning Board approves two property variances, splits on third

The Waterford Township Zoning Board of Appeals on Jan. 20 at Townhall Auditorium approved multiple property variances and split on a residential addition after a 26-minute meeting that also included routine procedural business and elections for board officers.

The board unanimously approved Case PZBA26-001, allowing a detached accessory building (a shed) at 5676 Clinton River Dr. after applicant Alan Danowski told the board a steep drop of about 23 feet to the river and only “eight or nine feet” of usable side yard made rear placement impractical. No members of the public spoke on the request. Board Member Sue Camilleri said the side yard was the only feasible location; the motion to approve carried 7-0.

In Case PZBA26-002, Brad and Karma Swartwood (with Frank Snell of Bella Decks) asked for three setbacks variances to replace two existing lakeside decks and relocate stairs at 2740 Silverside Rd., citing a deck older than 20 years and structural rot. The requests included a 0.0-foot south-side property-line clearance (5 feet required) and reduced lakefront setbacks (proposed deck 26.0 ft and stairs 11.0 ft from the shoreline where 59.0 ft is required). The applicants said they would relocate an existing shed to meet setbacks and that nearby neighbors had no objections. Chairman Stan Moore said he generally “does not vote for zero clearances” because of fire and emergency-access concerns but acknowledged the site constraints; the board approved the variances unanimously, citing safety and practical difficulty evidence presented by the applicants.

Case PZBA26-003 at 4964 Lore Dr., filed by Randall Goldsworthy, sought three variances for a front setback, a roof-eave projection, and a side setback to permit an addition intended to house a home photography studio after the applicant’s prior studio burned. Board members debated neighborhood character and whether the rear yard could accommodate the work. Camilleri said the proposed front setback would be “out of character” for the neighborhood; Goldsworthy said rear work would be considerably more expensive because of grading and concrete costs. The board split its decision: it denied Variances #1 and #2 (the two front setbacks) on a 4-3 vote, opposed by Frasca, Hoffman and Ressler, and then voted to approve Variance #3 (side-setback reduction) unanimously, with the board finding that seven members agreed practical difficulties existed for that element.

Those votes leave 4964 Lore Dr. able to proceed only with the narrower side-setback change; the applicant must revise plans consistent with the denied front-setback requests if further work is proposed.

The board grounded its variance decisions in written and oral evidence about lot depth, slope, and existing site constraints and cited specific ordinance provisions in the staff write-ups supplied for each case.

The meeting adjourned at 6:26 p.m.