Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting - October 16, 2025
Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting - October 16, 2025
The Board of Zoning Appeals met on October 16, 2025, to consider a variance request for property at 1070 Rosalie Avenue. The meeting included roll call, approval of prior minutes, and discussion of the new variance application. The board approved the requested variance unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Docket 10-19-25, 1070 Rosalie Avenue – Lot Coverage Variance: Applicant Lee Posick, architect for the property, presented a request for an area variance because the total lot coverage would exceed the permitted limit by 2.36% (proposed 37.36% vs. permitted 35%). The overage resulted from including the front porch in calculations, which was omitted in a previous submission. At the prior September meeting, the board had approved a variance to relocate the garage to the rear. Adjustments to the front elevation to meet architectural board requirements shortened the front set-back, increasing lot coverage. The applicant stated that further reduction of the garage depth (28 feet) was not feasible due to turning radius and snowplow access.
- Board member Jeffrey Piggett provided administrative comments, noting that the property currently has the smallest lot coverage on the block (12% based on auditor data). The proposed 37.36% is consistent with neighboring properties (all in the ~30-35% range). He explained that the request qualifies as a minor area variance that could be administratively approved with neighbor sign-off, but due to time constraints, it was brought to the regular meeting. The applicant confirmed that he had discussed the issue with neighbors, including the couple who raised the concern at the prior meeting, and they had no objections.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No formal public comments were received from non-applicants. The applicant made additional remarks clarifying that neighbors were informed and supportive of the adjusted plans.
Key Outcomes
- Motion and Vote: A motion to approve Docket 10-19-25 was made and seconded. The board voted unanimously in favor (3-0): Gillian Bellino (yes), Jeffrey Piggett (yes), Anthony Santiago (yes). Members Michael Alexander and Matt Markling were excused.
- The variance was granted, allowing the lot coverage of 37.36% (2.36% over the permitted 35%). The applicant was advised to proceed with the Architecture Board review for final elevation approval.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the October 16th meeting of the City of Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals. And the first item on tonight's agenda is the roll call. Ms. Nocta, would you please call the roll? Michael Alexander. Gillian Bellino. Here. Matt Markling. Jeffrey Piggett. Here. Anthony Santiago. Can we make a motion to excuse Matt Markling and Michael Alexander? I'll second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. So the second one is the second item is the approval of the minutes from the September 18th, 2025 meeting. If everyone has had a chance to read those, uh can we could we have a motion to approve those minutes? And I know that Mr. Santiago wasn't here, but you still if you are so inclined, you can still uh vote to approve the minutes. Um I'll motion to approve the minutes. I'll second. All in favor? Aye. Uh and then uh we're we're moving along. Third is the opening remarks. Ms. Nocta, would would you please uh give your opening remarks to the meeting? 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 within application to the board and any addendas, 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 permits 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. We will now begin with the regular business of the Board of Zoning Appeals. Thank you, Ms. Nocta. Uh and the first and only business on the docket is new business, docket number 10-19-25, 1070 Rosalie Avenue. Uh would the applicant uh or the spokesperson for the applicant please step to the podium and sign your name, state your relationship to the property, and um feel free to uh start with your presentation. Thanks. All right. Uh my name's Lee Posick, um, Michael and Young's uh architect. And uh last meeting we acquired a big variance for moving the garage around to the back of the house, which the architectural board was kind of adamant about having. Um there was a comment brought up did I include the front porch? And I went back and double checked, and that wasn't I didn't I forgot a line item, so I recalculated and it did put us over uh few square feet from total lot coverage. Um when we redid the plans, I had cut four feet off the entire edition on the front and set it back further, which was part of architectural board and part of consolidating the plans. Um we can't really take any more footage out of the garage, even though it's 28 feet deep because of the turning radius coming around to be able to get the car into the garage door or be able to have a snowplow even attempt to snowplow back there. So uh since we're over a couple of uh percentage points, I we're back for another variance. Thank you.
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