Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting - July 17, 2025
Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting - July 17, 2025
The City of Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals met on July 17, 2025, at 11:30 AM to consider two variance requests. The board approved both variances unanimously and handled routine administrative items.
Consent Calendar
- Roll call was taken; members present: Jillian Bellino, Matt Markling, Jeffrey Pigett, Anthony Santiago. Michael Alexander was excused by motion.
- Minutes of the May 15, 2025 meeting (the June meeting was canceled) were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Docket 07-11-25 (1649 Bell Avenue): Christopher French, co-owner of adjacent property at 1645 Bell Avenue, spoke in public comment. He expressed concern about the proposed increase in deck size from 80 to 170 square feet and questioned the necessity of the larger deck for gardening, suggesting container gardening could be done elsewhere. He noted a lack of communication with the applicant and asked about the future of an existing fence and tree limbs. The applicant, Jason Height, responded that part of the fence would be removed and that the deck would be used for general outdoor living, not solely gardening.
- No public comment was received or made for docket 07-12-25 (12984 Lake Avenue).
Discussion Items
New Business – Docket 07-11-25: 1649 Bell Avenue
- Applicant Jason Height, owner of the property, presented a proposal to add a second-story unroofed patio deck (170 sq ft) as part of a larger addition to create a mother-in-law suite for aging in place. The existing 80 sq ft deck would be removed. The only variance required was for a second-story unroofed deck, as all other zoning requirements were met. City staff (Ms. Nocta) noted that the board has approved similar decks in the past with no negative consequences. The board discussed the deck's size, its relation to adjacent properties, and the location of an air conditioner. The applicant clarified the air conditioner would remain within the foundation line.
New Business – Docket 07-12-25: 12984 Lake Avenue
- Applicant Stephen Percy requested a variance for a driveway gate (5 to 6 feet high, black wrought iron) in the front yard. The property features a historic stone wall; the gate would be placed adjacent to the wall without attachment. The Architectural Board of Review had already approved the gate's design. City staff confirmed the city has an easement for future sewer infrastructure and has no objection to the gate. No public comment was received.
Key Outcomes
- Motion to excuse Michael Alexander passed.
- Motion to approve the May 15, 2025 minutes passed.
- Motion to approve the variance for docket 07-11-25 (1649 Bell Avenue) as proposed passed unanimously (4-0).
- Motion to approve the variance for docket 07-12-25 (12984 Lake Avenue) as proposed passed unanimously (4-0).
- The meeting was adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Uh welcome to the July 17th, 2025 meeting of the City of Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals. The first item on the docket is uh a roll call. Ms. Nocta, would you please call the roll? Michael Alexander. Jillian Bellino here. Matt Markling. Jeffrey Pigett. Here. Anthony Santiago. Here. Thank you. I'll make a motion to excuse Microsoft. I'll second. All in favor? Aye. And the second item on the agenda is the approval of the minutes of the May 15th, 2025 meeting. The June meeting was canceled. If everyone has had a chance to review the minutes, could we have a would someone like to make a motion to approve those minutes? I'll motion. I'll motion to approve the May 15th minutes. I'll second. All in favor? Aye. And the third item on the agenda are the opening remarks. Ms. Nocto, would you mind reading those into the record? Welcome to the Board of Zoning Appeals. For a variance to be granted, the board must get sufficient information from your presentation to determine if your property meets the practical difficulty test. All documents included with an application to the board and any addenda, statements, maps, diagrams, sketches, letters, photographs, or other materials proffered to the board by any person shall be considered by the board prior to rendering its decision on the application. No permit shall be issued unless submitted plans conformed to those approved by the board. If modifications are made to the approved plans, a successive variance request must be filed and approved to account for the modification. For the record, please sign the form on the podium and state your name and address. This serves as an oath or affirmation that you will tell the truth before the board. Thank you, Ms. Nocta. The first or the item four on the agenda is new business. It's docket number 07-11-25 1649 Bell Avenue. Would the applicant please step up to the podium and uh and sign your name and state your name and the relationship to the property, please? And then you can begin with your presentation after all of that. Hi, my name is Jason Height. I am the owner of the property at 1649 Bell Avenue. Hello everyone, I'm Mark Hubener, um resident of Cleveland, and I'm here to represent Larson Architects, the uh architect of record on this project. My name is Faith Kristowski. I'm also here to represent Larson Architects, the architect of record. So basically what we are looking at here, uh we've got a beautiful historic home. Uh we're proposing an addition. Uh the intent of the addition is to uh uh sort of allow a mother-in-law suite uh age in place sort of situation. Excuse me, could you speak up a little bit? My apologies, yes.
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