Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Relief topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ZBA grants retroactive driveway and shed relief at 1315–15 Blewood Avenue
Summary
The board approved special permits allowing a common driveway between 13 and 15 Blewood Avenue and a variance for an accessory shed shown 1.5 ft from the lot line, after the applicant and staff clarified photos, alternate driveway options and recommended conditions.
Attorney Donald O'Neal appeared for the owner and asked the board to grant retroactive relief so the two parcels could use a common driveway and to allow an accessory shed at 15 Blewood Avenue closer than the five‑foot setback. "We were operating on the assumption that the fence was the property line... it's a temporary shed," O'Neal said, describing the shed as placed on blocks and not permanent.
Planning staff (Amy Bethle) explained the parcels are in an RS7 zoning district and that staff's review found the common driveway crosses the required 3‑ft landscape buffer and that the shed, per the survey, sits 1.5 ft from the property line. Bethle confirmed staff's conditions of approval and noted the applicant had addressed staff comments and offered alternate driveway options onto Blythewood Terrace that were not pursued.
Board members who visited the site said the layout was workable and that the shed and driveway arrangement were acceptable given the temporary nature of the accessory structure and the apparent separation from the legal property line. After brief board comment and a motion, the board voted unanimously to close public comment and approve the requested special permits and variances subject to staff conditions and the waivers requested by the applicant.
What happens next: The decision is conditional on the applicant meeting the listed staff conditions on page four of the staff memo and on filing documentation with inspectional services and the city clerk.
