The Board of Zoning Adjustment granted a setback variance on August 11 for a new home at 14 Singleton St., despite some opposition from neighbors.
Most opposition came from next-door neighbor Barbara Gavron, who said allowing Ron Taul to move his house closer to the property line would increase the danger of fire. She also objected to having the gable end of the house facing the street. Of the 15 nearby property owners who received notification about the request, only three responded. One neighbor wrote to say he had no objection, and another wrote to ask for a delay on the decision.
Taul explained that he asked to move the house closer to the side boundary to allow for an additional parking spot on the other side of the house. He said the design of the house, with the gable facing the street, would allow the best use of the lot’s “unique characteristics.”
Chair LauraJo Smole said she drove through the neighborhood and saw other houses built close to property lines, before setback requirements were in place. She also saw that some of the houses do not have off-street parking. The application was approved unanimously.
BOZA also approved the removal of several trees at 25 Prospect Ave. for Asa Chipouras and Phebe Grothaus. Vines had strangled two of the trees, and another had been struck by lightning. Commissioners agreed with removing three large trees but asked the residents to trim one of the four trees instead of removing it.
CUP transfer OK’d if designated parking used
Commissioners re-convened as the Planning Commission, but the main item on the agenda did not materialize. Questions about the continuing development at Pine Mountain Village were postponed until September, since no one attended the meeting to represent the project. The request on the agenda included the demolition of seven small retail buildings. The application also asked for approval of a new tiered outdoor seating area.
Virgil Fowler is buying a house at 265 Spring St. The house currently has a Conditional Use Permit for one unit of bed & breakfast lodging, and Fowler applied to transfer that CUP. Neighbors who commented on the project expressed concerns about parking but said they would have no objection if Fowler’s tenants use the dedicated parking below the lot on King Street.
Fowler said he will enforce the parking and will be a full-time resident at the house. One of the commissioners noted that a previous owner had not been physically present, as required by the CUP. The commissioners approved the CUP transfer, with the stipulation that Fowler’s tenants use the appropriate parking spaces.
In unfinished business, commissioners are expected to submit vision plan updates at the next meeting, with the expectation that the commission can bring a finished product to city council in October. The commission had also taken an ordinance to council clarifying the requirements for a bed & breakfast. The city attorney was not at that meeting, however, and the ordinance is still pending.
Commissioner Ann Tandy-Sallee suggesting hiring a licensed arborist to help draft a new tree ordinance. “I don’t think we have any chance of getting this passed unless we have someone to back us up,” she said. She praised the work Chris Fischer has done for the commission, but Fischer is not licensed. Smole suggested finding someone with knowledge of trees and trails.