Board of Zoning Appeals approves smaller apartment floor areas at 20 South Embren Street

The Sunbury Board of Zoning Appeals on Thursday approved a variance that reduces the minimum interior floor areas for proposed apartments at 20 South Embren Street. The board voted 4–0 to allow one-bedroom units to fall to 750 square feet (down from 850) and two-bedroom units to 830 square feet (down from 1,020); the decision applies only to interior square footage and does not authorize occupancy without a conditional-use approval at the planning and zoning commission.

"My name is Vic Whitney. I'm legal counsel for the Board of Zoning Appeals," said Whitney as he introduced the application and entered exhibits A through D into the record, including the application packet, notice and mailings, a legal description and a seven-page staff report. Staff explained the request includes a shared 178-square-foot common space between units and noted a similar reduction was approved at the board two months earlier.

Applicant representative Patrick Bennett, who said he was assisting Dr. Michael Anthony, described the proposal as an adaptive reuse of existing upstairs space tied to the dental office and said the floor plan reflects what the owner believes will be marketable. "I'm Patrick Bennett. I live at 126 North Street, Sunbury, Ohio 43074," Bennett said when introducing himself to the board.

Board members discussed the purpose of minimum-unit-size requirements, focusing on livability rather than exterior issues such as parking or finishes, which will be reviewed separately with the conditional-use application. Staff noted that auditor records list whole-floor sizes and do not always permit precise interior unit comparisons, so direct unit-by-unit interior square footage for nearby apartments was not confirmed at the hearing.

The board closed the public hearing by motion and then voted to approve the variance by voice/roll-call, recording four affirmative votes. The record and staff report remain part of the file, and the applicant must still secure conditional-use approval at the planning and zoning commission before apartments may be authorized at the property.