Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Beacon zoning board approves rear-yard setback variance for Inn at Spy Hill
Summary
The Beacon Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance allowing a 23.8-foot rear-yard setback (a 26.2-foot variance from the 50-foot requirement) for a proposal to convert the Rose Hill Day School property into a 48-room hotel called the Inn at Spy Hill. The approval includes standard permit and timing conditions.
The Beacon Zoning Board of Appeals voted to approve an area-variance request on Feb. 18 to allow a proposed southern addition to be set back 23.8 feet from the rear lot line where a 50-foot setback is required, effectively approving a 26.2-foot variance for the Inn at Spy Hill redevelopment.
Taylor Palmer, counsel for the applicant, told the board the project will adaptively reuse two existing buildings on the property and add a connecting addition to create a 48-guest-room hotel with associated amenity spaces and a restaurant open to the public. "Therefore, a 26.2 foot variance is requested," Palmer said during his presentation. The board heard evidence about the site's irregular lot line and steep grade behind the property, including photos and a site-section diagram shown by the applicant.
During deliberations, multiple board members said the proposed variance was unlikely to create a material detriment to nearby properties given the slope and existing nonconforming conditions. One board member said, "I don't believe it would," when asked whether the change would be undesirable for the neighborhood. After discussing alternatives and the degree of change, a motion to approve the variance, conditioned on compliance with city permit requirements, passed on a unanimous roll call.
City staff read the standard conditions attached to approval: outstanding application and consultant fees must be paid before permit or CO issuance; the variance will be void if the applicant fails to obtain a building permit within six months of final land-use approval; construction must commence within six months after issuance of that building permit; and construction must be completed and a certificate of occupancy obtained within 24 months of permit issuance. The board set its next meeting for Tuesday, March 17.
