Board approves variance for Marquardt lot at intersection of Buena Vista and Pewaukee Road

The Waukesha City Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously granted a dimensional variance Feb. 16 allowing Michael and Charlene Marquardt to build a single-family house 10 feet from the Buena Vista Avenue right of way on a triangular, substandard lot at the intersection of Buena Vista Avenue and Pewaukee Road (tax key WAKC1000071).

City staff described the lot as a small, triangular parcel that previously was city-owned and sits on a steep incline along Pewaukee Road. Staff said the proposed design includes a roughly 1,000-square-foot first floor with an attached one-car garage built into the hill, and that substandard-lot rules allow reduced setbacks under section 22.26 of the zoning code. Staff noted that, because the lot is a corner parcel, the rear yard also functions as a street yard under the code, which constrains setback reductions.

Matt Sobotek, a family friend authorized to speak for the absent applicants, told the board the purchase occurred within the last year and that the owners plan to occupy the house in the future. He confirmed the proposed driveway would face Pewaukee Road. Board members asked about driveway safety and whether the garage could instead face Buena Vista Avenue; staff responded that driveways on Pewaukee Road exist in the neighborhood and that the garage-in-hill design responded to the slope.

During deliberation board members said they viewed developing the vacant lot as a public benefit and acknowledged the lot’s unusual geometry. Staff read the four variance findings required by the zoning code; the board affirmed each finding and then voted to grant the appeal. The chair advised the representative that, with the variance, the applicants may proceed with plan development and permitting.

What happens next: the applicants should complete plans for planning commission review and building permits.