Crestwood Board of Adjustment Meeting – 8880 Manda Lane Variance (2025-05-09)

The Crestwood Board of Adjustment met in the Administrative Conference Room at Crestwood Government Center, 1 Detjen Drive, to conduct a public hearing on variance application BZA-2-25 by Daniel Gregory for property at 8880 Manda Lane. The applicant sought a 3-foot variance from the R-3 District's required 8-foot north side yard setback under Section 26-16(A) of the Crestwood Development Code, to build a new attached garage 5 feet from the north property line. The agenda and minutes list the meeting as May 8, 2025, at 7:00 PM, while the meeting metadata identifies the date as 2025-05-09; this summary uses the metadata date. No audio recording is available due to a technical difficulty, so this summary relies on the meeting minutes.

Application and Staff Presentation

• City Planner Danny Jendusa testified that the property is a corner lot zoned R-3 Single Family Residential. The one-story home was built in 1959, the lot was platted in 1954, the home is approximately 1,400 square feet, and an existing attached garage is 286 square feet.
• The lot is nonconforming largely because its depth is 93.91 feet, below the R-3 minimum lot depth of 125 feet, and the home encroaches about 10.5 inches into the required rear yard setback. The existing house and garage sit 32.5 feet from the north side lot line.
• Jendusa stated the proposed attached garage would extend 3 feet into the required 8-foot side yard setback, placing the garage 5 feet from the north property line, and that the project otherwise complies with city code as far as he could review. He estimated lot coverage would remain below the 30% maximum: roughly 16-17% currently and under 20% with the addition.
• Exhibits entered included the staff memo, public hearing notice, variance application, zoning code, Section 26-16 standards, applicant plan and survey, St. Louis County parcel and assessment records, mailing list, neighbor letter, and applicant calculations. The minutes show the application was dated April 9, 2025, but also reference a request submitted April 22, 2025.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No oral public comment was made; Chairman Day noted no members of the public were present to provide comment.
• One written neighbor letter supporting the application was submitted as Exhibit 10. The minutes contain a minor discrepancy: the applicant first identified the neighbor as 8872 Manda Lane, then confirmed the letter writer, Paul Spearing, is the 8874 owner.

Board Discussion & Deliberation

• Applicant Daniel Gregory requested a 36-inch variance so an expanded garage could allow car doors to open when vehicles are parked beside one another. His calculations used a 3-foot car door width, a vehicle width of just over 6 feet, the existing 12-foot garage width, and a total needed garage width of 27.5 feet. After the 8-foot setback, 24.5 feet is available north of the structure, leaving a 3-foot shortfall.
• Gregory described the proposal as a four-car-wide garage. He said his three vehicles are currently parked either stacked two-deep in the driveway or on Barberton, and the extra bay would be used for another vehicle or storage. He said the intent was to keep cars off Manda Lane and make the property a "forever home," not to secure a greater financial return.
• Board Member Michael Barrett questioned whether the variance was solely for financial gain, because a standard three-car garage would fit within the setback without a variance. Chairman Andrew Day and other members asked Gregory to identify the hardship of having a three-car instead of a four-car garage.
• Board Member Steven Liddy expressed concern about building against the recorded utility/access easement and about stormwater runoff from expanding the driveway from about 12 feet to roughly 37-40 feet. City Planner Jendusa said drainage would be reviewed during a future building permit application.
• Board Member Richard Breeding strongly supported the request, saying removing cars from Manda Lane would improve traffic flow on a street he called "danger-danger-danger." Board Member Mark Sasser said he strongly supports home investment in Crestwood but was in a dilemma because a three-car garage would fit without a variance.

Key Outcomes

• After the hearing, the board voted on the statutory factors for variance approval; several factors did not receive affirmative votes from all members. The first factor received 3 ayes, the second received 2 ayes, the third received 1 aye, and the fourth and fifth factors received no affirmative votes.
• The board voted 5-0 to impose no conditions, on a motion by Richard Breeding seconded by Mark Sasser.
• A motion to approve the variance failed 2-3: Mark Sasser and Richard Breeding voted aye; Michael Barrett, Steven Liddy, and Andrew Day voted nay. The variance was therefore denied.
• The board then approved a motion to adjourn.