Board approves variance for 4,200 sq ft attached garage on Northlake Drive, asks staff to propose ordinance fix

The Watertown Board of Adjustments voted 5–1 to approve a variance allowing a 4,200-square-foot attached garage on a combined parcel made up of three platted lots on Northlake Drive.

Planning staff told the board the R-1 zoning district allows an attached garage of up to 2,352 square feet regardless of lot size; combining three platted lots into a single structure requires a variance to exceed that cap. "The ordinance allows for an attached garage to be 2,352 square feet no matter what your lot size is," Brandy said during the presentation.

Applicant contractor Michael Rothler said the scale is driven by the owner's storage needs — "he's got a roll home or motor home and a very large pool type camper" — and described a drive-through garage, board-and-batten siding, brick corners to match the existing house, and two floors of living space above mechanical and ductwork space.

Board members debated precedent and alternatives. Several members noted that if the property were rezoned to RG the allowable garage square footage would be much larger, and that detached accessory structures can sometimes achieve similar storage capacity. One board member asked staff to explore a living-space-to-garage ratio or a sliding scale tied to lot size; another said the ordinance currently contains a "hole" that this application exposed.

The motion to grant the variance passed 5–1. Staff recorded a roll-call and the chair confirmed the approval, with at least one board member saying staff should return with a proposed ordinance amendment or other solution to prevent similar ambiguity in future applications.