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Zoning board approves 1,650 sq ft garage at 3012 Jolly Road with strict conditions
Summary
The Plymouth Zoning Hearing Board granted Frederick Carl Arthur III a variance to build a 1,650-square-foot garage at 3012 Jolly Road, conditioned on personal storage only, removal of an existing shipping container, landscaping, and stormwater controls. The motion passed 3–2; a written decision is due within 45 days.
The Plymouth Zoning Hearing Board voted to grant a variance allowing Frederick Carl Arthur III to build a 1,650‑square‑foot garage (30 by 55 feet, 12 feet high) at 3012 Jolly Road, conditioned on limits to use and several site requirements.
The board read a motion that included nine conditions: the building must be used only for storage of personal items (no residential or commercial use), the current shipping container must be removed within 30 days of final inspection, no additional accessory structures larger than a 12‑by‑12 shed are allowed, the applicant must install the landscape buffer he described for neighbors, building colors, materials, windows and exterior lighting must match his testimony, and stormwater management and maintenance must be installed as required by the township engineer. The motion also required the applicant to obtain all permits and build according to the submitted plan.
During testimony, Arthur said the existing three‑car garage is unsafe and that the new structure would be smaller than a previously denied request; he described the screening plan and said the structure would be more than 300 feet from neighboring houses. Neighbors raised concerns about the size and potential future uses. Neighbor Brenda Murphy submitted a document of proposed conditions and asked the board to make them enforceable. "Our goal has simply been to protect our home, our property, and the residential character of our neighborhood," Murphy told the board when asking that conditions be incorporated into the written decision.
At the roll call vote the board recorded two members opposed and three in favor; the chair cast a deciding vote in favor and the motion carried. The board said it will issue a written decision within 45 days that will state the conditions in full and the timeline for compliance.
The board did not expand the applicant's authority to use the property commercially or as a residence, and it required removal of the shipping container as a condition tied to final inspection and permitting. The board also left enforceability and technical requirements for stormwater and impervious coverage to the township engineer and building permit process.
The variance was heard at a July 20, 2026 meeting of the Plymouth Zoning Hearing Board; parties will receive the written decision within 45 days.
