Decatur City board approves three variances for home at 618 Madison Street

Mason Burkholder (S6) asked the Board of Zoning Appeals for three variances at 618 Madison Street to allow rebuilding and attaching a garage and adding a porch. He described plans to remove a detached garage on the north side of the lot, attach a new garage in the same footprint and build a wraparound porch that reduces the west‑side setback.

Burkholder said the existing garage wall sits about 6 inches from the property line; his project would reattach the garage near the same location. He requested: a small variance to the rear‑yard setback (described in the hearing as a 6‑inch issue), a 2‑foot‑6‑inch variance to allow a 5‑foot‑6‑inch west‑side setback for a porch, and a lot‑coverage variance to permit 56% coverage where code allows 35% (identified in the petition as a 24% variance to reach 56%).

Board members and staff asked about materials, potential impacts on light and air to adjacent properties, drainage and fire‑safety and encouraged Burkholder to confirm construction materials and firewall details before heavy work and during permit review. No members of the public spoke in opposition during the comment period called by the board.

The board read the statutory findings for each variance (compatibility with district uses, no impairment of light/air, no unreasonable congestion of public streets, no increased danger to public safety, and no impairment of property values) and answered the criteria in the affirmative for each request. The board then voted to grant all three variances: the rear‑yard setback variance for the garage, the west‑side porch setback variance, and the lot‑coverage variance allowing approximately 56% lot coverage.

Board members closed by reminding Burkholder to work with permitting staff on firewall and permit checks prior to and during construction.