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Zoning board grants variance to allow Michael Lareau to build 35-by-36 garage three feet from lot line
Summary
Iroquois County Zoning Board of Appeals granted Michael Lareau a variance May 26 to build a 35x36-foot garage three feet from the side property line instead of the 8-foot setback; the board cited prior structure evidence and site constraints (well, septic, leach field).
The Iroquois County Zoning Board of Appeals voted May 26 to grant a variance allowing Michael Lareau to construct a 35-by-36-foot garage three feet from the side property line, in place of the eight-foot setback required by ordinance.
Lareau told the board he needed the requested setback because utility hookups — a well, septic and a leach field — constrain where the building can be sited. A neighboring resident, Mike Waltz, spoke in support and said he has seen Lareau maintain the property well.
The board’s Findings of Fact, read on the record, included historical evidence. Bill Rogan read that public records and 2024 aerial photographs "confirm a permanent structure existed within the current setback buffer for approximately 20 years," and the board noted demolition of that prior building. The board found strict application of the current setback ordinance would create exceptional hardship due to the existing foundation, grading and utility locations, and that the requested variance was the minimum deviation necessary to afford relief.
The board approved the Findings of Fact on a motion by Steve Rapp with a second from Jerry Bennet, and then approved the variance on a motion by Bennet with a second from Bill Rogan; roll-call votes carried. Lareau was informed the item will appear at the Tax and Zoning Committee and the County Board for further processing.
