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Kenilworth ZBA denies floor‑area variance for proposed home at 429 Warwick Road
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals denied a request to exceed the village’s maximum building size at 429 Warwick Road after members concluded the applicants had not demonstrated a unique hardship; the motion to permit an additional 394 sq. ft. failed 7‑0.
The Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of Kenilworth on March 9 denied a request to increase the maximum permitted floor area for a proposed single‑family home at 429 Warwick Road.
Village Planner Michael Blue opened the public hearing and told the board the application was the same floor‑area request the ZBA considered at its January 21, 2026 meeting and that a written statement from the property owners was the only new material submitted. Applicant Jim Janikowski said the requested floor area “represented at 10% overage of what is permitted,” and argued the design responds to family needs and the site’s constraints, including the Skokie ditch/creek and a detached garage solution that he said would “block neighbor’s light and require removal of a heritage oak tree.”
A neighbor, Abby Lakowski of 421 Warwick Road, spoke in support, citing consistency in building height and the proposed concealed garage. Board members pressed the applicants on whether they had reduced the building’s size since prior hearings; the applicants said they removed a third‑car garage and enclosed a four‑season room but that narrowing the house would eliminate desired second‑floor space such as a guest bedroom and larger master closets.
Members debated whether the lot qualifies as a unique hardship. Member Mark Hinkamp said he did not see a hardship, and several members noted that the board previously granted setback relief and that code provides sizeable relief for the half‑story above a detached garage. Chair Eamon Murphy said he did not support the request and observed the board had not received revised plans since November 2025.
Member Hinkamp moved, and Member Chalmers seconded, a motion to grant the variation permitting construction that would exceed the maximum permitted building size of 3,956 square feet by 394 square feet, conditioned on strict compliance with the plans in the packet. The roll‑call vote recorded no yeas and seven nays; the motion failed 7‑0.
The board did not adopt the requested floor‑area variance; applicants were told that any materially different plan would require a new application. The ZBA then noted an April 13 meeting with one agenda item before adjourning at 7:57 p.m.
