Westminster City zoning board approves porch variance for 200 Augusta Street

The Westminster City Board of Zoning Appeals voted to approve a variance letting the homeowners at 200 Augusta Street expand their front stoop into a larger covered porch. A board member moved to accept the request "as presented," the motion was seconded and the board recorded two aye votes, carrying the motion.

Kelly Carter, a staff member, explained the administrative denial that prompted the appeal, saying the code-enforcement officer had concluded the proposed porch "breaches the setback" and that staff "support[s] what they'd like to do" but did not have authority to issue the building permit under the zoning code. Carter told members the packet included a diagram showing the existing stoop and the proposed porch dimensions: "They would like to put a a porch that is currently 4 foot by 7 feet 4 feet by 7 feet stoop that already exists and make that an 8 by 14 covered front porch."

Sandra Brown, the next-door neighbor who spoke during the public-comment portion, said she and her husband were in favor of the work, describing the change as an improvement for the neighborhood: "So we are 100% in favor." Board members asked whether the expansion posed any safety problems; staff and members said they saw no safety concerns, and one member said the porch would "improve the curb appeal of the property."

Because the proposed porch would encroach into the required setback, the board's variance was the formal authorization needed for the homeowners to obtain a building permit. The board approved the variance by a unanimous vote of members present.