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Board approves two variances and denies glazing waiver for Schwartz Crossing project
Summary
The Greenwood BZA approved a parking layout variance and a lighting variance for the Schwartz Crossing development and denied a request to reduce required glazing on the east elevation; approvals carry landscaping and standard conditions. Final findings will be drafted.
The Greenwood Board of Zoning Appeals acted on three variance requests for the Schwartz Crossing development, approving two and denying one.
The board approved the first variance request to permit more than one double row of parking in the front yard, subject to landscaping as presented in the applicant’s plans. That motion passed 4–1 after members debated parking layout, shared parking and whether additional green space should replace some asphalt.
The second request — to exceed the maximum permitted light level of parking-lot fixtures at the property line — was approved unanimously (5–0). Staff said the lighting layout and neighboring parking arrangement justified the exception.
The board denied the third request, which sought to reduce the east‑elevation glazing/transparency requirement from the UDO standard (the applicant proposed roughly 9% glazing vs. a 30% standard). Staff explained the denial by citing the project’s location, the need for active storefronts, and a lack of design responses that would preserve pedestrian character; the motion to deny carried 5–0.
Staff told the board the petitioner had previously presented multiple variance requests in January and that the absence of a comprehensive commercial site plan limited staff’s ability to fully evaluate alternatives. Board members questioned parking-count assumptions and asked for clarification about shared‑parking agreements; the applicant said proposed mitigation includes bicycle parking and planting to soften the site.
Corporation counsel was directed to draft written findings of fact reflecting the three actions; the board said final action would occur in two weeks.
