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Stevenson board approves variance for oversized driveway at Upper Bassett Circle
Summary
The City of Stevenson Board of Adjustment voted to approve a variance that allows a residential driveway poured at 23.3 feet to remain rather than be cut back to the 20-foot engineering standard after staff said the engineer likely would have approved it if reviewed before the pour.
The City of Stevenson Board of Adjustment on Thursday approved a variance allowing the driveway at 114 Northeast Upper Bassett Circle to remain wider than the city's 20-foot residential maximum. Chair Mary Repar opened the hearing, named staff present and the applicants, and guided the board through required findings before the vote. "My name is Mary Repar. I'll be chairing this meeting tonight," Repar said at the opening.
Applicants Julie Fitzgerald and her husband described steep site topography and stormwater mitigation that influenced the driveway design. Planner Randy Hertel told the board the city engineer indicated that "initial approval would have been granted" if the driveway had been reviewed prior to pouring; staff records showed the poured driveway measured about "23.3 feet wide." Board members said the case turned on timing and communication rather than willful noncompliance, and one member moved to approve the variance. "I move to approve," the motion-maker said; the motion passed on roll call with board members voting in favor.
The board made formal findings that the hardship was not self-imposed, that similar nonconforming driveways exist in the neighborhood, and that the additional width would not be materially detrimental to public welfare or surrounding property. The chair closed the hearing by directing staff and the applicants to complete the remaining administrative steps. The board adjourned after the vote.
