Board approves variance for larger detached barn at Tucker Road

The Preble County Board of Zoning Appeals on Feb. 24 approved a variance for a 40-by-60-foot detached structure at 6846 Tucker Road in Somers Township. Applicant Steven Smith told the Board the building — larger and taller than local rules allow — is needed to store tractors, a camper and to conduct maintenance.

Smith described the request as family-driven and practical: “we want a barn big enough to put that equipment in, and to be able to work on,” he said. The proposed structure is 2,400 square feet and 22 feet tall; the zoning standard cited by staff limits similar detached structures to 1,800 square feet and 15 feet in height in the required rear yard. The Board approved the request citing the criteria listed in Section 1404.01, Letter D, items 1 through 6.

Board members expressed no recorded objections during discussion. The motion to approve was made by Jeff Rogers and seconded by Sarah Driver; roll call votes were recorded as Yes from Rogers, Driver, Mike Henning and Chair Curtis Caplinger. The variance approval allows the landowners to place and use the larger structure on the 3.168-acre parcel subject to any site or permit conditions required by county staff.