Building department dots I's and crosses T's, on homeowner projects...

The May 7 ZBA agenda consisted of two new projects brought to them by homeowners, where small projects are required by the building department to go through the time and expense to gain a variance to be "legal".

The first is a property on Lenny Court, a cul-de-sac, where the homeowner, in an effort to create a portico to cover front steps .... is required to request a variance of 2 feet, because the code requires 50 feet between a house and the front yard property line, and the applicant can provide 48 feet. So a variance of 2 feet is required.

The second request is for an applicant who lives on Beechwood Court, who would like to build a 780 square foot structure on .91 acres of land. On plots less than 1 acre only 600 square feet is allowed, thus the applicant is requesting a variance of 180 square feet. It was noted during the discussion, that IF the applicant had 1 acre of land -- a variance would not be required. And now, taking on new importance in the town, it was noted that only 1 curb cut is allowed. So now, he needs to engage a surveyor to stake out where the garage is to be built, prepare a sketch of the internal layout of the garage and wait until the public hearing on May 28th to know if a garage can be built on his property.

Both projects will have a site visit on May 25th, with public hearings scheduled for May 28th.

It is heartwarming to know that the Town Building Department is so very scrupulous in applying the details of the zoning code...... to the homeowners and taxpayers living in the town. One could only hope the same attention to detail is applied to all projects, and the application of the state's Open Meeting Laws.