[1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER]
[00:01:35]
MIC] I WILL MAKE ONE NOTE, I GUESS, SHOULD I SAY IT HERE, WE'RE NOT WE WILL NOT BE DOING ELECTIONS.
CAN I STRIKE THAT FROM OUR AGENDA OR SHOULD I JUST DO IT AT THE LATER? OKAY. JUST JUST NOTED THAT WE DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF MEMBER FIELD-FOSTER AND DUE TO MY ABSENCE LAST MONTH, WE WILL ONCE AGAIN BE PUSHING OFF OUR ELECTIONS.
SINCE WE'RE THE ONLY THREE OF US ARE THE ONLY THREE MEMBERS AT LARGE.
SO WE NEED THREE OF US TO BE PRESENT IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO BE ELECTED.
SO WE WILL HOPE THAT WE CAN DO THAT AT THE APRIL MEETING.
AND OTHER THAN THAT, I WOULD MOVE TO APPROVE TONIGHT'S AGENDA.
[2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA]
SUPPORT. OKAY.SUPPORTED BY MEMBER DESCHAINE.
AND THIS IS A VOTE TO APPROVE TONIGHT'S AGENDA.
CHAIR VOTES. YES. SO THE AGENDA IS APPROVED.
[3. CORRECTIONS, APPROVAL AND RATIFICATION OF MINUTES]
AND I HAVE NO COMMENTS OR CORRECTIONS.I MOVE FOR APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES AS SUBMITTED.
AND THE CHAIR VOTES YES. SO THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED.
SO ZBA CASE NUMBER 23-01 TONIGHT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO OUR MAY MEETING DUE TO A LACK OF FULL BOARD.
THAT WAS THE DECISION OF THE APPLICANT.
SO DUE TO NO UNFINISHED BUSINESS, WE WILL MOVE DIRECTLY ON TO ZBA CASE NUMBER 23-03 2292 LAKE
[6B. ZBA CASE NO. 23-03 (2292 Lake Lansing), Susan Luks & Edward Clayton, 2292 Lake Lansing Road, East Lansing, MI 48823]
LANSING ROAD. SUSAN LUKS AND EDWARD CLAYTON AT THE SAME ADDRESS.2292 LAKE LANSING ROAD, EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN, 48823.
OR ACCESSORY STRUCTURE IN THEIR FRONT YARD SETBACK.
THE PROPERTY IS APPROXIMATELY 2.9 ACRES IN SIZE AND IS ZONED RR, RURAL RESIDENTIAL.
IN 2018, THERE WAS A VARIANCE GRANTED TO ALLOW THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DECK SLASH PORCH, WHICH IS ENTIRELY LOCATED WITHIN THE 100 FOOT FRONT YARD SETBACK ON LAKE LANSING.
THE SUBMITTED SITE PLAN SHOWS THE EXISTING 2,564 SQUARE FOOT SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE THAT WAS BUILT IN 1900 AND THE PROPOSED CARPORT. SO THE ORDINANCE REQUIRES A 100 FOOT FRONT YARD SETBACK FOR PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL ROADS, WHICH IS LAKE LANSING IN THIS CASE.
THE PROPOSED CARPORT WILL BE LOCATED ENTIRELY WITHIN THAT FRONT YARD SETBACK.
SO A VARIANCE OF 38FT IS REQUESTED.
ALSO, SECTION 86.565 STATES, NO ACCESSORY BUILDING CAN PROJECT INTO THE FRONT YARD.
[00:05:06]
AND IN THIS CASE, THE CARPORT IS PROPOSED TO BE LOCATED IN THE FRONT YARD ON NEWTON ROAD.SO THIS CARPORT IS APPROXIMATELY 22FT IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE.
BUT IN TOTAL, BECAUSE OF THE SIZE, WILL PROJECT 42FT INTO THAT FRONT YARD.
SO A VARIANCE OF 42FT IS REQUESTED.
AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE. ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAPMAN, WOULD THE APPLICANT OR THE APPLICANT'S REPRESENTATIVE LIKE TO COME UP AND SPEAK ANY FURTHER ON THE CASE.
AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD, THAT'D BE GREAT.
HI THERE. MY NAME IS LIZ HARROW.
AND I THINK YOU CAN SEE FROM THE DRAWING THAT THE SITE IS AND THE PHOTOGRAPH ALSO THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS SITE IS ALMOST HIDDEN FROM THE ROAD BY TREES AND AND FOLIAGE.
AND ALL THAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR IS A SMALL SHELTER TO COVER THE CARS FROM SNOW AND RAIN AND TO LET THEM SCURRY OUT OF THE HOUSE INTO ALSO TO HELP WHEN FAMILY ARRIVES.
AGAIN, THAT THAT DARK, DARK LINE IS THE LINE OF THE CARPORT.
THE OTHER THE OTHER AREA IS PAVED OR GRAVELED AREAS OF DRIVEWAY AND SO THEY WOULD PARK THEIR CARS UNDER THERE AND THEN AND THEN HEAD ACROSS TO TO THE HOUSE.
I THINK YOU CAN SEE WHERE THERE'S A LITTLE GABLE.
THAT'S WHERE THE ENTRANCE TO THE HOUSE IS.
IT'S IT'S FURTHER NORTH THAN THE THAN THE ORIGINAL HOUSE LINE.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE A COMPLETELY REASONABLE REQUEST AND COMPATIBLE WITH THE EXISTENCE OF THE HOUSE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND CAN YOU TELL ME YOUR NAME ONE MORE TIME? LIZ HARROW.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT, LIZ, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WOULD ANYBODY ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS? YEAH, IF YOU WANT TO STAY THERE OR CLOSE BY.
BECAUSE SINCE IT'S JUST A FEW OF US HERE, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO ADD ON THIS CASE TONIGHT? IF NOT, THAT'S OKAY TOO.
THAT'S OKAY. JUST NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD, PLEASE, MA'AM.
SUSAN LUKS 2292 EAST LAKE LANSING ROAD.
OKAY, SO THE REASON WE'D REALLY LIKE TO BUILD THE CARPORT IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR US AS WE AGE.
WE'RE WATCHING MY ELDERLY PARENTS AND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS WHEN YOU DON'T PLAN.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR US AS AS WE GET OLDER.
SINCE THERE'S NO ONE ELSE HERE.
I WILL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT AND GET INTO BOARD TIME.
I DID HAVE A QUESTION, AND THIS IS THIS IS MORE, UM, I GUESS WHEN YOU SPEAK TO LIKE THE MINIMUM ACTION, IS THERE A REASON THE CARPORT IS NOT CLOSER TO THE HOUSE? IS IT BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OR IS IT BECAUSE OF WHAT? WELL, THAT ACTUALLY WORKS REALLY WELL FOR HAVING THE THERE'S A FLAT AREA THERE THAT WORKS PRETTY WELL.
THERE YOU CAN SEE THAT LITTLE THAT'S A BEGINNING OF A KIND OF RAMP THAT GOES UP TO THE TO THE SOUTH.
AND SO THAT FELT LIKE THE BEST LOCATION.
TWO CARS, RIGHT? AND THEN WITH THAT EXTRA, IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE A THIRD CAR SPACE.
IT IS A THIRD. IT'S NOT COVERED.
SO OUR ORDINANCE FOR DETACHED ACCESSORY STRUCTURES REQUIRES TEN FEET.
OKAY. FROM THE PRINCIPAL STRUCTURE.
[00:10:02]
WITH A WHEELCHAIR AND AND SO FORTH.THAT HELPS. AND PRETTY MUCH ANSWERS MY QUESTIONS.
RIGHT. AND WIDENING THE ROAD WOULD INVOLVE ELIMINATING THE HOUSE.
SO IT IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A LIKELY A LIKELY PLAN.
I THINK, AGAIN, THIS WAS A CONVERSATION THAT I CAN REMEMBER FROM THE LAST TIME AND THAT SINCE THE HOUSE IS EXISTING, I CAN I CAN VERY CERTAINLY MAKE THE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THIS LOCATION, BUT I WILL CERTAINLY PASS IT OVER TO EITHER OF MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
TWO QUICK QUESTIONS AND A COMMENT FOR YOU.
THANK YOU FOR COMING. FIRST QUESTION, IS THERE IS THERE A GARAGE OR A CARPORT CURRENTLY ON THE PROPERTY? NO [INAUDIBLE] THERE IS A SHED BEHIND THE BUILDING WHERE THEY STORE SOME STUFF.
RIGHT. OKAY. I KIND OF FIGURED THE SECOND QUESTION IS KIND OF GOING ALONG WITH WHAT CHAIR MANSOUR SAID THAT IS THERE ANY CHANCE OR REASON WHY THE CARPORT WASN'T PUSHED BACK FARTHER? I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT OUTSIDE NO, NO, THERE'S A DECLINE.
OKAY. SO IN FACT, THAT DOES SLOPE DOWN TOWARD THAT WETLAND, THAT WATER.
I PERSONALLY DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM, AS YOU SAID, WITH THIS.
I DO UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU IF YOU DID TRY TO NOT HAVE A VARIANCE WITH THIS AND PUSH THIS OUTSIDE AT A MINIMUM 100FT, YOU'D BE DOWN UNDER THE TREES AND IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO WALK UP AND DOWN THAT HILL AND TO PAVE IT, RIGHT? YEAH. I MEAN, THE HOUSE IS ALREADY, LET'S SAY, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, NONCONFORMING TO THAT FRONT YARD SETBACK.
100FT IS PRETTY ABNORMAL FOR WHAT I'VE LEARNED IN MY PLANNING BACKGROUND.
TYPICALLY, IT'S ABOUT 20, 25FT, 100FT.
IT'S JUST A SPECIAL SITUATION FOR THIS ROAD.
SO THERE'S PROBABLY SOME SORT OF VARIANCE YOU WOULD HAVE TO REQUEST REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS.
I THINK WHERE YOU'VE PLACED, THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF YOUR BEST OPTIONS BASED ON THE SLOPING OF THE LAND AND CLOSENESS TO THE HOUSE WITHOUT BEING WITHIN THAT MINIMUM TEN FEET, AS MR. CHAPMAN HAD SAID. SO I WOULD BE, AFTER WE GO THROUGH THE FIVE CRITERIA, THAT IS, I WOULD PROBABLY BE WILLING TO SUPPORT THIS.
ALL RIGHT. THAT IS IT CHAIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ANYTHING TO ADD MEMBER DESCHAINE? JUST A QUESTION FOR KEITH.
SO THE SETBACK RULE WOULD PROHIBIT THE HOUSE FROM BEING BUILT ANYWHERE CLOSE TO WHERE IT IS NOW.
SO THE 100 FOOT SETBACK GOES THROUGH APPROXIMATELY RIGHT WHERE THIS CURSOR IS.
YEAH. SO LIKE, 90% OF THE HOUSE IS IN THAT SETBACK.
ALL RIGHT. ON THAT NOTE, I THINK I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND READ CRITERIA.
CRITERIA NUMBER ONE IS UNIQUE.
AND THESE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT SELF-CREATED.
AND I THINK THE APPLICANT DID AN EXCELLENT JOB ANSWERING THAT IN THE PACKET AND AS WE JUST SPOKE TO.
THAT 90% OF THE HOUSE BEING IN THE SETBACK ALREADY, THAT WE'RE ALREADY LOOKING AT.
YOU KNOW, THIS THIS IS A VERY UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCE.
CRITERIA TWO STRICT INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE LITERAL TERMS AND PROVISIONS OF THIS CHAPTER WOULD RESULT IN PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES THAT WOULD PREVENT THE OWNER FROM USING THE PROPERTY FOR A PERMITTED PURPOSE.
I THINK MEMBER KOENIG TOUCHED ON THAT ONE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO BUILD THIS IN ANY OTHER LOCATION.
AND I DO SEE AND UNDERSTAND THE PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES, WHETHER IT'S SAFETY, LIKE YOU'VE MADE AN EXCELLENT POINT OF SAYING ABOUT AGING IN PLACE AND JUST MAKING IT AN ACCESSIBLE AND USABLE STRUCTURE AND PROPERTY.
I CAN VERY EASILY MEET THAT PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES PORTION OF THAT CRITERIA.
CRITERIA NUMBER THREE WOULD BE GRANTING THE VARIANCE AS THE MINIMUM ACTION NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THE SPIRIT OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE, SECURE PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL JUSTICE. AGAIN, I FIND IT VERY EASY TO MEET THIS UNDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND
[00:15:03]
SUBSTANTIAL JUSTICE PORTION.I THINK THAT THIS WILL JUST IMPROVE THE THE HOME AND GIVE YOU THE PEACE OF MIND TO BE ABLE TO BE SAFE AND HAVE YOUR HOME BE ACCESSIBLE. AND ANOTHER WAY THAT WHAT'S A MINIMUM IS THAT IT'S A CARPORT AND NOT A GARAGE.
I WOULD DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THAT.
YEAH. AND I AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I DID THINK THAT WHEN I READ THE THE PACKET THAT HOW THOUGHTFUL IT WAS THAT IT IS A CARPORT. WE'RE LOOKING AT A STRUCTURE, NOT A ANOTHER BUILDING, ANOTHER ACCESSORY BUILDING AND THAT IT IS AS MINIMUM AS IT COULD BE AND TO FIT TWO CARS AND YEAH.
RIGHT? AND I THINK THAT THIS WILL ONLY IMPROVE THAT THAT YOUR PROPERTY IN AND OF ITSELF, BUT CERTAINLY DOES NOT DO ANY HARM TO THE PROPERTIES AROUND.
I DO AGAIN REMEMBER THIS THAT CORNER LOT AS SOON AS I DROVE PAST I WENT, YEP, I REMEMBER THIS.
I REMEMBER IT BECAUSE IT IS A VERY UNIQUE AREA THAT YOU'RE KIND OF TUCKED BACK IN THERE.
AND CRITERIA NUMBER FIVE, GRANTING THE VARIANCE WILL BE GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH PUBLIC INTEREST AND THE PURPOSES AND INTENT OF THIS CHAPTER.
HOWEVER, SINCE THIS PROPERTY IS SUCH AN OLD HOME THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH, I DO THINK THAT THIS IS WITHIN THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO ALLOW YOU TO UPGRADE AND AND MODERNIZE IN A WAY THAT'S FOR YOUR SAFETY AND FOR LONGEVITY IN THE PROPERTY.
SO WITH THAT SAID, I CAN MEET ALL FIVE CRITERIA.
ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD? ALL RIGHT. I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR KEITH.
UM, NO, I DIDN'T HEAR FROM ANY.
THEY WERE NOTIFIED, THOUGH, CORRECT? YEAH. EVERYBODY WITHIN 300FT GETS NOTIFIED.
ALL RIGHT. IN THAT CASE, I WILL MOVE TO APPROVE ZBA CASE NUMBER.
OH, MAKE IT AN EASY 23-03 2292 LAKE LANSING, SUSAN LUKS AND EDWARD CLAYTON.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION TO APPROVE? I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GO FOR A VOTE.
THIS IS A MOTION TO APPROVE MEMBER KOENIG YES.
THANKS VERY MUCH. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.
WELL, AS WE SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, SINCE WE DO NOT HAVE OUR OTHER MEMBER AT LARGE HERE TONIGHT, MEMBER FIELD-FOSTER, WE WILL BE SKIPPING THE ELECTION OF 2023 OFFICERS AND MOVE RIGHT DIRECTLY INTO PUBLIC REMARKS.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD, ANY PUBLIC REMARKS? ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING TO CLOSE PUBLIC REMARKS AND GO TO BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS.
ANY BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS TONIGHT TO SHARE? SINCE YOU WERE HERE THE LAST.
I SOLVED THE QUESTION. YEAH, I AM ENJOYING.
I'M ENJOYING MY TIME, MY GAVEL AND MY THREE MINUTE TIMER.
SO YES, YOU DO AN EXCELLENT JOB AT IT AS WELL.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
WE JUST NEED TO DOUBLE CHECK THAT.
MEMBER FIELD-FOSTER IS READY TO SERVE AS MY VP AGAIN, SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL ALL BE TOGETHER FOR APRIL.
YES. AND I WOULD JUST MY MY ONLY COMMENT WOULD BE THAT WE NEED ALTERNATE MEMBERS.
AND WE NEED ALTERNATE MEMBERS DESPERATELY, BECAUSE IF MEMBERS ARE OUT, WE'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO FILL THESE BOARD SEATS AND HAVE APPLICANTS BE HEARD WITH A FULL BOARD. SO THAT SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO CONCLUDE TONIGHT'S MEETING AND WE ARE OFFICIALLY ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.