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Board approves variances to allow new home at 31360 Lake Road with conditions
Summary
Bay Village Board of Zoning Appeals approved multiple variances for 31360 Lake Road, allowing a largely like-for-like rebuild. The board required the structure be centered (roughly 3'3" side setbacks), limited condenser placement to at least 1 foot from the east line with year‑round screening, and conditioned any lot-coverage relief on maintaining the existing driveway/hammerhead configuration.
The Bay Village Board of Zoning Appeals on June 4 approved several variances to allow construction of a new single‑family house at 31360 Lake Road.
Board members voted to allow the primary structure to be centered on the lot, producing approximately 3 feet 3 inches of setback on both the east and west sides, a change the board said balances the applicants’ practical hardship with constructability and neighbor concerns. The board also approved a variance for maximum lot coverage to permit the applicant’s amended impervious-surface percentage (the applicant cited about 67% under the resubmitted drawings) provided the driveway and hammerhead dimensions are maintained as drawn.
The applicants described a failing foundation and widespread structural damage inside the house. One owner said the floors are buckled and that “if you set a golf ball, it will roll,” arguing they cannot economically rebuild on the existing footers. The board repeatedly pressed whether the project was new construction or a renovation and said that, because new footers and foundations are proposed, centering the new house would better accommodate scaffolding, excavation and future maintenance.
On equipment, the board approved placement of air‑conditioning condenser(s) on the east side no closer than 1 foot to the property line and required year‑round screening — either a 3‑foot tall screened enclosure or dense evergreen plantings — to reduce visual and noise impacts. The applicant agreed to study split condensers or narrower units if needed to meet clearance conditions.
Board member Scott Bruno moved the set of variances as amended; the board recorded roll-call votes on each required item. The motion to grant the side-yard variances (3 feet each side with total side-yard relief noted in the motion) carried with a majority of votes. The chair closed the discussion by thanking the applicants for working toward a compromise.
The board’s approval is conditioned on building-to-the-drawn footprint, maintaining the driveway/hammerhead dimensions in the submitted plans, meeting the 35‑foot height maximum if an additional story is added, and providing year‑round screening for the HVAC equipment. Any changes to the approved drawings will require re-submittal or a return to the board.
