Webster zoning board grants three area variances for homeowners

The Town of Webster Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday granted three area variances for residential properties, allowing an addition, a corner-lot privacy fence and a small utility shed.

At 1249 Mill Creek Run, the board granted an area variance to allow a 42.4-foot rear setback where 50 feet is required so the homeowner may build a roughly 1,080-square-foot addition. The applicant, identified in the record as Peter Penkew and speaking at the hearing as Pete Pankyo, said he and his family have lived in Webster their whole lives and that the small, 1,000-square-foot ranch house needs additional living space. "All we wanna do is just make that addition and stay there for our life," Pankyo said. Board members reviewed the four-part variance standard, agreed the addition matched nearby lot patterns and would not create a neighborhood detriment, and approved the variance after a motion and roll-call vote. The board recorded the parcel as an R-3 single-family residential lot and noted the project as a Type 2 action under NYCRR section 617.5 C (SEQRA).

At 1084 Bright Stream Way, the board approved a variance to allow a 6-foot white vinyl privacy fence along the inboard edge of a corner lot that zoning treats as a front yard. The applicant told the board the fence would be placed inside an existing tree line and that no trees would be removed. A board member noted the fence would not alter the neighborhood's visual character because it sits behind dense vegetation. The motion passed; the applicant must secure a building permit and complete work within one year.

At 785 Summerdale Drive, the board granted a variance to allow a roughly 10-by-20-foot shed to be sited approximately 8 feet from a property boundary on a corner lot. Applicant Randy Potok said mature trees and berming screen the location and that the shed will not require electrical service. The board found no adverse physical or environmental impacts and approved the request.

For each approval, the board advised applicants to obtain any required building permits and complete meaningful project movement within one year of the variances being issued. The board recorded findings on neighborhood character, alternative locations considered and potential impacts before each vote.

The board's approvals followed standard procedural motions and were accompanied by brief public openings; no members of the public spoke in opposition to these three specific applications at the meeting.

The board's next hearing items included an appeal and a multi-building development that were handled separately.