Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting - October 29, 2026

The Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals met on October 29, 2026, to hold public hearings on two area variance requests. The board voted to approve both requests. One board member recused herself from the second application because she works for the Greater Syracuse Land Bank, the applicant. No agenda or minutes were provided with the source material; this summary is based solely on the raw transcript. Near the end of the meeting, a board member noted that it was almost 2:00 p.m.

Minutes Approval

• The board approved the minutes from the October 8, 2026 meeting after a motion and second. No one opposed, but one member abstained.

Public Comments & Testimony

• For the Norman Avenue fence variance, no members of the public spoke for or against the request.
• For the 229 Orlando Avenue variance, no one spoke in favor. Three nearby residents spoke in opposition:
  • Sarah Hill, 160 Monticello Drive North, opposed the 10-foot setback, saying it was too close to the street, would block sight lines at the three-way stop, and that speeding and stop-sign violations are already a problem. She also said the house was too large for the lot and that she received notice only two days before the meeting.
  • Kathy Stribly, 316 Monticello Drive North, raised drainage and flooding concerns, stating the area has no storm sewer infrastructure, the corner site receives runoff from the neighborhood, and a previously undergrounded spring had caused flooding. She also described cut-through traffic problems and said the applicant should go back to the drawing board.
  • Jeanette Davis, 200 North Monticello Drive, who said she has lived nearly 50 years directly across from the proposed site, opposed moving the house closer to the corner, citing traffic dangers, pets killed by traffic over the years, and major water problems.

Discussion Items

Area Variance 2026-20 – Six-Foot Fence on Norman Avenue

• The applicant, addressed by the board as Griff, requested an area variance to install a six-foot white vinyl privacy fence on a corner lot. The applicant stated that a standard four-foot fence was inadequate because the household's 50-pound mixed-breed dog Baxter can clear it, and the household also fosters rescue dogs.
• The applicant explained that moving the fence inward to comply with the setback was blocked by an existing deck and a mature tree and would cost about 500 square feet of usable yard. The fence would be placed about two feet outside the existing chain-link fence and about 30 to 34 feet from the road edge. A petition signed by nine neighbors was submitted.
• The applicant said wireless or GPS fencing was not trusted, chain-link was rejected because dogs can climb it, and colored vinyl was not considered because of cost. Board members discussed alternatives such as a trellis, planting in front of the fence, or reducing the encroachment, but did not require landscaping.
• The board found no undesirable change to neighborhood character and no substantial adverse effect. The motion to approve included the staff condition that proper permits be obtained before any work. The motion passed.

Area Variance B-2026-24 – 229 Orlando Avenue / North Monticello Drive

• Luke Avery Doherty of the Greater Syracuse Land Bank, 1941 South Salina Street, presented the request for a variance from the required 25.4-foot front setback to a 10-foot setback on the North Monticello Drive side of the vacant corner lot. The lot slopes down on its western edge, requiring a 14-foot side setback, and the proposal is a three-bedroom, two-bath manufactured home on a slab, priced at $215,000.
• The applicant argued that the only alternative would be a large retaining wall and extensive fill, which would be disruptive and financially infeasible. The proposed design was chosen to fit the neighborhood's bungalows and Cape Cods, and the land bank planned to repair the existing retaining wall and install gutters to manage runoff.
• Board discussion acknowledged that traffic and drainage issues are broader neighborhood concerns, but several members did not see the requested setback as the cause of those problems. One member noted the project's structural coverage of 31.7 percent exceeds the R-1 zone's 30 percent maximum, which is handled by a separate zoning administrator adjustment. Another member said the difficulty was partly self-created because the house model was selected before the site was studied in detail, but found three of the five variance factors passing.
• The board approved the variance with two conditions: the building must maintain a minimum 10-foot front setback along North Monticello, and before a building permit is issued the applicant must obtain a zoning administrator adjustment for the 31.7 percent structural coverage or revise the site plan to comply with the 30 percent limit.

Key Outcomes

• Approved Area Variance 2026-20 for the six-foot fence on Norman Avenue, with the condition that proper permits be obtained before work begins.
• Approved Area Variance B-2026-24 for the 10-foot front setback at 229 Orlando Avenue / North Monticello Drive, with conditions regarding the minimum setback and the structural coverage adjustment.
• The second motion passed with all four voting members in favor; the recused board member did not participate, and no one voted against or abstained. A procedural question was raised that, with four voting members remaining, all four affirmative votes were needed for a majority of the full board.
• Board members encouraged city planning and engineering staff to address the neighborhood-level traffic and stormwater concerns raised during the hearing.