Minutes: March 10th, 2010

Catawba Island Township Board of Zoning Appeals

March 10, 2010



The regular meeting of the Catawba Island Township Board of Zoning Appeals was called to order by Chairman Dale VanLerberghe at 7:30 in the conference room. Present were Jack Zeigler, Bryan Baugh, Tom Anslow, Pat Cerny, Matt Montowski, Lee Short, Dave Koebel, Peggy Rolf, Eric Rolf, Robert Exner, Eva Reiff, and Dan Reiff. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the introduction of Board members and a brief overview of the meeting proceedings.

Case #543505 was tabled at the end of the last meeting on February 10, 2010. Bryan Baugh made a motion to remove Case #543505 from the table, seconded by Tom Anslow. Bryan Baugh, yes; Tom Anslow, yes; Jack Zeigler, yes; and Dale VanLerberghe, yes.

Case # 543505 – Robert Exner – 1310 Northwest Catawba Road, Lot 20 – R-3 Zoning
The variance request was for a rear yard setback of 3 feet, instead of the required 25 feet, for a sunroom addition. The 3 feet is from Lot 21. Dale VanLerberghe said he was not present at the last meeting, but he had read the minutes. Dale VanLerberghe asked Robert Exner if he would like to brief the Board on any new developments since the last meeting.

Robert Exner stated he would like to amend his original variance to request an 8 foot variance instead of a 10 foot allowance on the side yard deck. Robert Exner said he is going to make a smaller deck now. He said he does not have official drawings at this time although he did submit a sketch he made himself of the proposed addition. Robert Exner now plans to put an addition on the front of the house and a small deck off the back.

Dale VanLerberghe asked Robert Exner if he had staked the property with flags. Robert Exner replied the property is staked. Dale VanLerberghe noted the stakes were not in place the day before. Robert Exner said that is correct, he lives out of town and just recently had a chance to stake the property.

Dale VanLerberghe asked if anyone in attendance would like to address the board on the case. There was no response. Dale VanLerberghe asked the Board for their response. Tom Anslow asked how high the deck would be. Robert Exner replied about two and a half feet. Dale VanLerberghe said he feels it is very important to see the proposed variance setbacks by flags so that he knows exactly what he is looking at and can have an idea of the request. Dale VanLerberghe said he is really uncomfortable with a proposal brought to the Board the day of the meeting and for us to have to make a decision on that.

Tom Anslow asked Robert Exner to come forward and explain his submitted drawing. The Board then clarified a few questions with Robert Exner regarding the drawing.

Dale VanLerberghe asked Robert Exner if he was going to build the deck himself and if the variance request was for the deck. Robert Exner replied yes. Tom Anslow stated he also liked to see the flags and visualize what is going on. Dale VanLerberghe said his initial thinking is to table the case for another month unless the Board wanted to go ahead and vote.

Bryan Baugh made a motion to table Case #543505 for one more month. The motion was seconded by Jack Zeigler. Bryan Baugh, yes; Jack Zeigler, yes; Tom Anslow, yes; and Dale VanLerberghe, yes. Dale VanLerberghe said the case would be tabled until next month.

Bryan Baugh told Robert Exner to be sure the property lines are marked out between the two lots and that the stakes are in place for the deck, including the steps. Dale VanLerberghe asked Robert Exner to also mark where the new addition would come out to so that could also be added to the request next month if necessary.

Robert Exner asked the Board if he would need to be present at the next meeting or if someone could stand in for him. Dale VanLerberghe told Robert Exner he could have someone stand in for him as long as they could answer questions from the Board.


Case # 543514 – Eric and Margaret Rolf – 3917 North Ridge Dr., Lots 336 & 337 - R-1
The variance request is for a front yard setback of 29.3 feet in lieu of the required 40 feet in the R-1 District for an addition and renovation to an existing home at 3917 North Ridge Drive in the Catawba Cliffs. Pat Cerny stated she has received no correspondence. Dale VanLerberghe asked if anyone had a conflict with this case.

Eric Rolf introduced his wife Peggy Rolf, their architect Lee Short, and their builder Dave Koebel. Lee Short said the Rolfs’ purchased the home about two months ago and are in the process of interior renovations. Lee Short said part of their proposed renovations are to add bedrooms to the existing house. He said they plan to utilize the existing garage area for the bedrooms. Lee Short said the actual proposed addition is for a two car garage, space for the storage of a golf cart, and a secondary entrance with a laundry room, half bath, and transition area. Dale VanLerberghe clarified that the current garage would then become living area. Lee Short replied that is correct.

Lee Short presented a full set of plans showing the proposed addition to the Board. He stated the work also includes a complete renovation of the existing residence as well as an overall face lift to the exterior including new windows. Lee Short said the property is flagged and he gave a detailed explanation of the plans to the Board.

Dale VanLerberghe asked how close the new addition on North Ridge would be to the road compared to the other houses. Lee Short said he is not certain, but they are about 45 feet to the edge of the pavement. He said that is roughly the distance of two and a quarter car lengths. Eric Rolf said two of his neighbors spoke with him about the addition and did not express any concerns.

Dale VanLerberghe asked if the house was only 19.5% coverage of the allowable 30%. Lee Short replied yes. Bryan Baugh said when he looked at the property he had a concern with the distance of the north corner of the home to the property line. He said the map shows it is almost 29 feet and it looks like the shed is on the property line, but it is actually 5 feet away. Lee Short stated the shed is about 9 or 10 feet off the property line. Dale VanLerberghe asked if the shed was remaining. Lee Short said the shed is remaining.

Tom Anslow said he does not have a problem with the request. He said he thought it looked close to the setbacks and there was no coverage issue. Bryan Baugh said he tends to agree. Bryan Baugh said he thinks eliminating the corner driveway is good and the setbacks are not anything greater than what the rest of the neighborhood is. He said most of the neighborhood is that or shorter. Tom Anslow stated in some neighborhoods he would be against it, but in this neighborhood there are a lot of preexisting structures that are certainly closer. Dale VanLerberghe said he has visited the site twice and to the credit of Lee Short he appreciates the detailed markings and flags so everyone concerned could physically see how it was marked. Dale VanLerberghe said he thinks that is really important to do and thanked Lee Short for his efforts.

Jack Zeigler made a motion to approve case #543514 as presented. Bryan Baugh seconded the motion. Jack Zeigler, yes; Bryan Baugh, yes; Tom Anslow, yes; Dale VanLerberghe, yes. Dale VanLerberghe stated Case #543514 is approved.

Matt Montowski said there would be a work session for both Zoning Boards on April 7 in the conference room from 6 to 8:00 p.m. Matt Montowski said Todd Bickley of Regional Planning and Mark Mulligan, County Prosecutor, would also attend.

Matt Montowski introduced Jack Zeigler. He was welcomed by the Board.

Meeting minutes from the February 10, 2010 Board of Zoning Appeals meeting were not approved because there were only two Board members present that were at the meeting.

The next meeting will be April 14, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

Tom Anslow made a motion to adjourn the meeting seconded by Bryan Baugh. The motion was carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned.



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Chairman

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