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Property owner says Unionville denied permit for $100,000 accessory building; asks Council for help
Summary
Property owner Jason Allen told the Unionville Town Council he built a 30-by-40-foot accessory structure on 17 acres at a cost exceeding $100,000 and that the town denied a zoning permit because the outbuilding is larger than the primary residence; he said the code officer told him to tear it down or attach it to the house and asked the Council to resolve the dispute without forcing him to liquidate assets.
Jason Allen told the Unionville Town Council on Dec. 16 that he has invested more than $100,000 to build a 30-by-40-foot accessory structure on 17 acres his grandfather farmed and that the town recently denied the zoning permit because the outbuilding is larger than the primary residence. Allen said he rerouted the septic lines to place the building and that Unionville’s Code Enforcement Officer, John Ganus, told him he must either tear the building down or attach it to the existing house.
Allen said he built the structure to store farm equipment and that an addition to the home would be prohibitively expensive. “I never imagined such dreams would be an issue to build a 30’ x 40’ building on 20 acres of land,” Allen said, asking the Council to help him resolve the matter without forcing him to liquidate resources.
The minutes record Allen’s request and his description of the conversation with Code Enforcement Officer Ganus; the Council did not record a formal vote or directive on the record at the Dec. 16 meeting related to Allen’s permit. The minutes do not state whether staff promised follow-up steps or a timeline for resolving the dispute.
The issue centers on the town’s zoning enforcement practice that treats accessory structures larger than the primary dwelling as problematic; the minutes show the enforcement action was initiated in April 2024 with a code citation to Allen. Allen said the building is necessary for farm operations and sought an administrative or policy solution that would allow the structure to remain without requiring attachment to the house or demolition.
Allen asked the Council to consider alternatives and to advise him on how to proceed. The minutes identify Code Enforcement Officer John Ganus as the official who issued the citation but do not include a direct response from Ganus or from Council members beyond hearing Allen’s request. The Council’s next meeting or staff follow-up would be the likely avenue for any formal resolution, but the minutes do not specify a follow-up date or action.
No formal action on Allen’s complaint is recorded in the meeting minutes.
