Zoning board recommends variance for Watika resident’s 40-by-48 pole building

The Iroquois County Zoning Board of Appeals on June 30 recommended approval of a variance that would allow Watika resident and petitioner Nathan Tagmire to construct a 40-by-48-foot detached pole building two feet from a side property line, subject to anchoring, permit limits and a required site-plan consultation with the building inspector.

The board’s recommendation follows a presentation by Tagmire, who described the property, existing boundaries and neighboring ownership and supplied site plans and PDFs for the record. Tagmire told the board he had spoken with adjacent owners; one neighbor mentioned in the record was Nick Peters and another was Carolyn, who attended the hearing. At the hearing Tagmire corrected an earlier misstated measurement, saying, “based on my blueprint, I misstated. It is a 40 by 48.”

A zoning official read the board’s written findings of fact, noting that the parcel is associated with a FEMA map amendment/LOMA recorded in 2015 (case number given in the record) and concluding the build footprint sits at or above base flood elevation. The read findings said historical evidence showed a similar accessory structure occupied the footprint for decades, that strict compliance with current setbacks would impose practical hardship, and that permitting reconstruction on the similar footprint would not injure neighboring properties or reduce property values.

The board recommended approval of a two-foot setback reduction from the side property line, with conditions: the structure must be anchored to state and local building-safety codes; the shed must not exceed the square footage or height allowed under the permit; and the applicant must have a site-plan consultation with the building inspector prior to construction.

A motion to accept the findings and recommend approval passed on recorded ayes from board members Wayne Wagner, Bill Rogan and Jerry Bennett. The clerk told the applicant the case will next be heard by the zoning committee (the notice in the record set that meeting for Tuesday the 7th at 10:00 a.m.) and then by the county board at 9:00 a.m. the following week; the applicant or a representative must attend those hearings.

The record includes a public-notice reading that lists the case as zoning case 26-ZBA-011, identifies the petitioner’s address as 2119 East 1730 North Road, Watika, Illinois, and gives the parcel/township information. The notice cites a statutory reference and the LOMA case number in the record; the clerk read the LOMA number aloud and tied it to a 2015 FEMA amendment.

The board emphasized the decision recorded at this meeting is a recommendation: final approval will depend on the zoning committee and county board reviews, compliance with the stated conditions and any further evidence or objections those bodies may consider.