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Board grants use variance for new single‑family house at 4405 Norfolk, with conditions
Summary
The St. Louis Board of Adjustment granted a use variance and approved two area variances for a proposed single‑family home at 4405 Norfolk Avenue, while directing the applicant to submit revised plans to address facade materials and plane breaks. Neighbors raised concerns about debris from initial site work.
The St. Louis Board of Adjustment voted to grant a use variance and approve two area variances for a proposed two‑story single‑family home at 4405 Norfolk Avenue, concluding testimony and deliberations on July 22.
City zoning examiner Andy Powers presented the building commissioner's denial of the permit application, saying the proposal required “1 use variance and 4 area variances” because single‑family detached homes are not an allowed building type in that portion of the Forest Park Southeast form‑based district and several building envelope standards were unmet. “The basis of denial ... is that the present zoning for this address is B, 2‑family dwelling district,” Powers told the board, then reviewed applicable sections of the form‑based code and the cultural resources office comments about materials and facade breaks.
Appellant Dahlia Kaziz said she asked the board to allow the single‑family use to reflect changing market demand in the area: “So, yes, I am calling, to request, if we can change, the current zoning from a 2 family dwelling district into a 2 story single family home,” she said during testimony, adding that the design responds to local buyer preferences and that she could modify ceiling height if required by the board.
A neighbor who opposed the appeal, Kim Jayne, told the board that site clearing left debris at the rear of the lot and that a city trash dumpster was knocked over; she said the disturbance had affected neighborhood infrastructure and called on the developer to address cleanup. “When they cleared the brush off the front of the lot ... they bulldozed it to where the brush and ... the city trash dumpster is knocked over on its side,” Jayne said.
In deliberations the board agreed to grant the core use variance and to approve variances tied to the property’s setback and the first‑floor ceiling height while requiring the applicant to submit revised plans that bring secondary facade materials and vertical plane breaks into compliance with cultural resources requirements. The board also discussed adding a condition about site maintenance during construction; members ultimately framed decisions so staff can review revised drawings and confirm material and plane‑break compliance before final plan approval.
The board voted on the motion in open session and recorded the motion as carried. The board will notify the applicant in writing of the formal decision and any required plan revisions; the city said notice would be mailed in about two weeks.
Provenance: testimony and staff presentation recorded starting when the appeal was read into the record and presented by staff (topicintro: SEG 045; topfinish: SEG 734).
