ZBA Meeting Date: July 17, 2025
To: Members of the Zoning Board of Appeals
From: Mathias Hughey, Associate City Planner
Title
Consideration of a Variance Request to Encroach into the Rear Yard Setback of 203 Maple St. S.
Body
Action Requested:
The Zoning Board of Appeals will consider a variance request to encroach into the rear yard setback for 203 Maple St. S.
Summary Report:
The applicants, Matthew Olson and Maureen Looby, are seeking to replace the existing detached garage with an addition that would connect the new garage to the home and include habitable space above the vehicle storage area. The lot is a corner lot, and the existing garage is located in the rear yard. Access to the driveway and garage is from the 2nd Street side of the property.
The land development code (LDC) establishes a rear yard setback of thirty (30) feet for attached garages, and five (5) feet for detached garages, in the R1-B: Low Density Residential Zoning District. The proposed new garage is placed over a portion of the footprint of the existing garage, slightly closer to the street-side setback, thereby reducing the overall impervious surface on the lot. Both the existing and proposed garage are carriage house style with a half-story above the vehicle storage area.
The variance request is based upon the requirements and elements necessary for this type of permitted use on this site to be functional.
The principal structure dates from c. 1900 and is identified as the Samual W. Furber House in the 1992 Preservation Plan for Northfield and Phase II Evaluation Study. It was constructed with a front-yard setback greater than 60 feet, reducing the space available in the rear yard for a garage. Alternative configurations, while possible, would either be economically infeasible or have a significant impact on the character of the structure and neighborhood.
A draft resolution, including required findings, is attached.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of t...
Click here for full text