Zoning Board of Appeals Packet 10-11-2022

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                                               CITY OF MUSKEGON
                                            ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
                                               REGULAR MEETING


DATE OF MEETING:                           Tuesday, October 11, 2022
TIME OF MEETING:                           4:00 p.m.
PLACE OF MEETING:                          Commission Chambers, First Floor, Muskegon City Hall


                                                               AGENDA
I.        Roll Call

II.       Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 14, 2022.

III.      Public Hearings

       A. Hearing; Case 2022-05: Request for a variance from Section 2316 of the zoning
          ordinance to allow a parking area in the front yard at 1038 Ada Ave by Ma Del Carmen
          Ramirez.

IV.       New Business

V.        Old Business

VI.       Other

VII.      Adjourn




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                                                   Ann Marie Cummings, City Clerk
                                                           933 Terrace Street
                                                         Muskegon, MI 49440
                                                            (231) 724-6705
                                  TTY/TDD: Dial 7-1-1 and request that a representative dial 231-724-6705
                                 CITY OF MUSKEGON
                              ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
                                   STAFF REPORT

                                   Tuesday, October 11, 2022


Hearing; Case 2022-05: Request for a variance from Section 2316 of the zoning ordinance to
allow a parking area in the front yard at 1038 Ada Ave by Ma Del Carmen Ramirez.

SUMMARY
 1. The property is zoned R-2, Medium Density Single Family Residential.
 2. The lot measures 5,280 sqft and contains a house and a detached garage.
 3. The applicant applied for a permit to pave the two-track that lead to the garage and to pour
    a concrete patio in the back yard. The permit was approved.
 4. In addition to the approved work that was completed, the applicant also paved an extra
    parking space just to the west of the existing two-track. This addition was not approved and
    cannot be because section 2416 of the zoning ordinance states “residential parking areas for
    boats, trailers, motor vehicles, and recreation equipment shall not be located in any front
    yard. This section shall not prohibit the direct access drive parkin of automobiles on paved,
    established driveways.”
 5. Please see the enclosed answers to the questions of page 2 of the Planning & Zoning
    application. In order to be granted the variance, the applicant must demonstrate that there is
    a hardship with the property. It appears that the applicant cannot identify the hardship that
    exists on the property. When asked why their property is unique compared to others in the
    neighborhood, they responded “an extra parking spot for the winter time.”
 6. All properties within 300 feet of the applicant were notified, at time of this writing staff had
    not received any comments from the public.
                                         1038 Ada Ave
Zoning Map




Aerial Map
REVIEW STANDARDS
Questions to consider when reviewing a variance request:
    a. Are there are exceptional or extraordinary circumstances or conditions applying to the
       property in question or to the intended use of the property that do not apply generally to
       other properties or class of uses in the same zoning district?
    b. Is the dimensional variance necessary for the preservation and enjoyment of a
       substantial property right possessed by other properties in the same zoning district and in
       the vicinity?
    c. Will the authorizing of such dimensional variance be of substantial detriment to adjacent
       properties?
    d. Is the alleged difficulty caused by the ordinance and not by any person presently having
       an interest in the property, or by any previous owner?
    e. Is the alleged difficulty founded solely upon the opportunity to make the property more
       profitable or to reduce expense to the owner?
    f. Is the requested variance the minimum action required to eliminate the difficulty?



DETERMINATION:

The following motion is offered for consideration:

I move that the request for a variance from Section 2316 of the zoning ordinance to allow a
parking area in the front yard at 1038 Ada Ave be (approved/denied) based on the review
standards in Section 2502 of the Zoning Ordinance.

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