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Neighbors raise fire-safety, nuisance and enforcement concerns; Board continues accessory-structure request at 154 Babcock
Summary
A proposal to allow accessory storage structures within a 30-foot rear setback and 15-foot buffer at 154 Babcock drew strong neighborhood opposition focused on prior code issues and fire risk; the board continued the item to Feb. 3, 2026 so the applicant can present detailed plans and consult the neighborhood association.
The Board of Adjustment continued a disputed request for multiple variances at 154 Babcock Road after the neighborhood association urged denial on public-safety and code-enforcement grounds.
Applicant Gil Vargas said the property's existing accessory structures and site conditions predated his ownership and that a reduced rear setback would permit practical use of the lot for storage related to a real-estate/property-maintenance business. He asked for a 25-foot variance from a 30-foot rear setback, a 10-foot buffer variance, and related accessory-structure relief.
Neighborhood testimony came from Bianca Maldonado, president of the Monticello Park Neighborhood Association, who cited a recent fire on the property and an ongoing build-up of materials behind the existing fence. "There were 15 shopping carts on this property when it caught fire," Maldonado told the board, and she said prior enforcement activity and multiple entry points made the rear of the lot especially vulnerable. The association asked the board to maintain the rear setback in the interest of life-safety and to avoid repeating past problems on the parcel.
Commissioners asked technical questions about where an accessory building could be located, whether an attached addition to the main structure would change setback calculations, and whether the applicant could limit the size and construction specifications of any future structure. City staff confirmed the property abutted a multifamily parcel (which triggers the 30-foot rear setback) and that accessory structures would be subject to permit-level fire-rating requirements if built.
Given the neighborhood's unresolved safety concerns and the applicant's offer to produce more-detailed drawings and meet with the association, the board voted to continue the case to Feb. 3, 2026 and instructed staff to re-advertise the item.
