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Ferrysburg ZBA approves waterfront‑setback variance for 16073 Lake Pointe Drive
Summary
The Ferrysburg Zoning Board of Appeals voted to grant a variance allowing a 52‑foot north waterfront setback for a new home at 16073 Lake Pointe Drive, finding the proposal met the ordinance standards despite one neighbor's objection about lost lake views.
The Ferrysburg Zoning Board of Appeals on July 10 approved a request by Thomas Serio to build a new single‑family home at 16073 Lake Pointe Drive with a minimum 52‑foot north waterfront setback, a reduction from the location's average setback of about 101 feet.
The variance, sought from sections 3.27 and 9.15 of the zoning ordinance, was approved on a roll‑call vote after the applicant described a 2,000‑square‑foot L‑shaped ranch with an attached garage and said the design preserves neighborhood sight lines. "It's consistent with the neighborhood," Serio told the board, adding the proposed house would block canal views less than the structure that had been removed from the lot.
City planning staff and the board reviewed the ordinance's six standards for a variance, including whether unique site conditions create practical difficulties and whether granting relief would harm nearby properties. Staff report materials and board discussion noted the lot's shallow north‑south dimension and prior approvals that had not been built. Supporters who spoke at the hearing said the design preserves access and sight lines and would restore a neglected lot; a nearby resident urged the board to deny the request because it would reduce his lake view.
Resident Tad Buvi, an adjacent property owner, said the proposed plan "fits extremely well with the surrounding houses" and preserves the driveway pad that allows vehicles and service trucks to turn without crossing private property. Opponent Henry Harton told the board the requested setback "would decrease my view of the lake by 49 foot" and asked that the applicant build within the current setback.
After public comment and deliberation, a board member moved to approve the variance, and the motion carried on roll call. The board's approval was recorded as the decision on the application; the board noted its written findings must document the ZBA's conclusions on all six statutory standards.
The decision allows the applicant to proceed subject to any building permits and administrative requirements; the board's action was recorded in the meeting minutes.
