Weirton board unanimously grants variance for porch at 121 Bass Drive

The Weirton Board of Zoning Appeals on May 5 unanimously approved a variance allowing a porch at 121 Bass Drive to remain closer to the street than the Unified Development Ordinance requires.

The variance was requested by applicant Stephanie LaChance to address a prior nonconforming deck at the property. City staff told the board the original development did not meet the UDO’s 20-foot front setback and that the current encroachment left an 11-foot distance from the street curb to the porch edge. LaChance and building inspection staff worked on a revised plan that trims the porch back to the beam, increasing the distance to 15 feet and improving compliance with the ordinance.

City staff recommended approval of the revised plan, and the board moved and seconded a motion to grant the variance. The motion passed unanimously. Minutes record that paperwork to finalize the variance approval was to be signed the following day.

The action resolves the property’s immediate setback nonconformity by approving a partial reduction in encroachment rather than restoring the full 20-foot requirement. The minutes note that owners, city staff and the board appeared to be in consensus on the revised plan. No individual board member was named as the motion’s mover or seconder in the minutes, and no recorded dissent was reported.

Earlier in the meeting the board also voted to approve the minutes of April 7, 2026. No other old business or substantive communications were reported, and the meeting adjourned after the paperwork and next steps were noted.