Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting - September 24, 2025
Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting - September 24, 2025
The Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) met on September 24, 2025, to consider four petitions: a sidewalk variance, a driveway width variance, a conditional use for floodplain development (continued), and a combined conditional use and front setback variance for a duplex. The board approved two petitions with conditions and continued one due to incomplete documentation.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the August 21, 2025 meeting were continued to the next hearing because one board member had not reviewed them and abstained from voting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- V-35-25 (sidewalk variance): The petitioner, Ethan Michelson, stated that several neighbors submitted unsolicited letters supporting his variance request, though no members of the public spoke during the formal public comment period.
- V-36-25 (driveway width): No public comment was offered.
- CU-37-25 (floodplain development): No public comment was offered.
- CU/V-38-25 (duplex): No public comment was offered.
Discussion Items
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V-35-25 – Griefy Properties (Ethan Michelson) – Determinate Sidewalk Variance:
- Staff recommended approval, noting that no multi-use path exists along Headley Road and that installing a 60-foot section would be impractical until future developments connect to it. Topography and tree preservation were also cited.
- The petitioner argued that the narrow parcel (0.79 acres, 60 feet wide) resulted from a lot line adjustment and that a 60-foot sidewalk to nowhere would serve no purpose, would require removing two large white pine trees, and would be an eyesore. He noted that a similar variance was granted in the neighborhood in 2007.
- The board voted unanimously to approve the variance with the condition that a zoning commitment be recorded within 60 days.
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V-36-25 – Mohasan Kianadasha Kanazade – Driveway Width Variance:
- Staff recommended denial, arguing that a 24-foot-wide driveway cut (requested to be 3 feet wider on each side) increases pedestrian danger on a street with no sidewalks. They stated that an 18-foot width is sufficient for two cars.
- The petitioners (through their daughter) argued that the narrow street, on-street parking, bus stop, and pedestrian paths create safety hazards that force them to park on the street; a wider driveway would allow single-movement entry/exit and reduce risk.
- After discussion, the board proposed a compromise: the driveway must remain 18 feet wide for at least 10 feet south of the street edge, then may flare to a maximum of 24 feet up to the garage. The petitioners agreed.
- The board voted unanimously to approve the variance with that condition.
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CU-37-25 – Built LLC (Madeline Sanders) – Conditional Use for Floodplain Development:
- Staff and legal counsel noted that the UDO requires a DNR permit or a letter stating no permit is needed before a conditional use can be approved. The petitioner did not have such documentation.
- The board voted unanimously to continue the petition to the October 23, 2025 meeting to obtain the necessary DNR correspondence.
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CU/V-38-25 – Todd Sachstetter (represented by Jamie Kreinler) – Conditional Use for Duplex and Front Setback Variance:
- Staff recommended approval. The property at 111 South Jefferson Street is zoned R3; the petitioner proposes demolishing an existing single-family home and building a duplex. To meet Green Acres Neighborhood Association concerns about scale, the duplex is set back 33.47 feet (instead of the 15-foot build-to line), requiring a variance.
- The petitioner stated they incorporated neighborhood feedback (using engineered wood siding, moving the building back) and have a demolition permit.
- The board voted unanimously to approve the conditional use and variance with conditions requiring two large street trees planted as shown on the plan and limiting approval to the presented design.
Key Outcomes
- V-35-25: Approved (3-0) with condition to record zoning commitment within 60 days.
- V-36-25: Approved (3-0) with condition that driveway width be 18 feet for at least 10 feet from the street edge, then flare to max 24 feet.
- CU-37-25: Continued to October 23, 2025, pending DNR documentation.
- CU/V-38-25: Approved (3-0) with conditions for two street trees and design limitation.
- Meeting adjourned at approximately 3:10 PM.
Meeting Transcript
City of Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals for the September 18th, 2025. Roll call, please. Ballard. Here. Barrel? Here. Sade. Here. Next on our agenda will be the approval of the minutes from August 21, 2025. Move to approve minutes August 21st, 2025. I second. I can't vote. Well, well, we can we can continue them. You can vote if you want to. You don't have to have attended to vote. But if you would prefer to abstain, we can continue them to the next hearing. What would you like to do? I didn't review the so uh I'll abstain from voting today. So uh let's continue. Continue. So uh make a record that uh the approval of the minutes is continued to the next meeting. Uh this evening we have some petitions that are continued to the October 23rd uh 2025 meeting, and that's AA-17-22, John Camp Construction LLC and Blackwell Construction Inc. We also have uh CU dash 32- uh 25 Springpoint Architects uh Barry Clapper. We also have CU dash 33-24 hat rentals LLC. Also continued our CU-33-25 Yehi Engineers, St. Ramey, HOA, um V-39-25, Brownsmith Studios LLC, Lucas Brown. We also have uh V 40-25, HR Green Inc. Don Cowden Foundation Inc. And for the petitions this evening, we have V35 25, Griefy properties, Ethan Michelson. We also have V-36-25, Mohasan, Kianadasha, Kana Zade, Kanazada. We also have CU-37-25, built LLC, Madeline Sanders. We also have C U slash Virty Eight 25 sex there, oh sex to their properties LLC. With that in mind, uh may I have the presentation for the first petition, please. Good evening. Uh for first petition this evening, we'll be looking at a determinate sidewalk variants for single family dwelling located in the residential medium lot R2 zoning district. As you can see, this this property is located on the northeast side of the city. Uh on along Headley Road there, uh that property as well as all the surrounding properties are zoned R2. Uh there is some mixed institution mixed use institutional property to the east, all owned by the trustees of Indiana University. It is a.79 acre property. And at issue here is a when when construction of this home was to occur, it required the construction and installation of a 12-foot wide multi-use path along the property frontage. As laid out here with the original site plan. The request for the determinant sidewalk variants comes about because there is no other multi-use path currently along Headley Road, and development is not seen to be very likely in the in the near future. And it would be excuse me, it would be better constructed and installed uh when future projects occur. Um this sidewalk also has topography limitations uh all along Headley Road. You will see that there is vegetation as well as particularly with this property, there are some tall canopy trees that would have to be removed for this path. So looking at the combination of the topography all along Headley Road, the fact that Indian University does control a portion of the property as well. And so any future path would have to bring IU as well as the other property owners in into building this 12-foot-wide multi-use path as well. And so looking at our findings that we have to consider for this determinant sidewalk variants. The first one is that the approval would not be injurious to the public health safety or morals or general welfare. We find it would not be injurious to the public health safety or morals, as there are currently no pedestrian facilities to connect to on the adjacent properties.
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