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Depew zoning board grants Jim Westgate a variance to widen driveway
Summary
The Village of Depew Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-0 to grant applicant Jim Westgate a 2-foot area variance to widen a driveway in front of the principal dwelling at a George Urban Boulevard property; the board found the change would improve appearance and posed no adverse impact.
The Village of Depew Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to grant a homeowner's request to widen a driveway at a property on George Urban Boulevard, the board said at the close of a short public hearing.
Applicant Jim Westgate asked the board for relief from a village ordinance limiting driveway encroachment in front of a principal dwelling. "My name is Jim Westgate, and I wanna replace the current roping driveway with the exact same driveway," Westgate told the board when asked to describe the proposal. Board members clarified the request was for 2 feet of relief beyond the standard front-yard limit; one exchange described that producing "a total of 7 feet beyond the front of the house." Member King asked for specifics, saying, "The variance doesn't give a specific dimension on how much of an encroachment into the front yard it is gonna be."
The presiding officer read the six criteria used in New York State for area-variance decisions and reviewed the applicant's written responses. The board characterized the proposed change as a benefit to the neighborhood's appearance, found no feasible alternative, judged the variance not substantial, and saw no adverse environmental impact. The board also corrected the applicant's form, noting that Westgate's packet listed a 5-foot request but the board determined the minimum required relief was 2 feet.
Member Menard moved to grant the variance "as presented," and Member Yarborough seconded. A roll-call vote recorded yes votes from Member King, Member Menard, Member Yarborough and Acting Chairman Delaney; the board announced, "Vote passes 4 0." The presiding officer congratulated the applicant and the hearing was closed by unanimous voice vote.
The Zoning Board's action authorizes the limited encroachment described in Westgate's application; the board did not attach additional conditions during the hearing. The public portion of the hearing lasted only minutes before the board took its vote and closed the hearing.
Next steps: the board closed the hearing and made no further assignments on the record. Any permit or inspection steps required to effect the driveway work will proceed under the village's normal permitting and code-enforcement process.
