City board approves variance for garage expansion at 417 Barclay
January 13, 2026 | Grosse Pointe Farms, Wayne County, Michigan
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The Grosse Pointe Farms Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance Tuesday allowing the owner of 417 Barclay to build an additional garage bay that reduces the minimum front-yard setback to 25 feet from the 30.64 feet required in the R-1 district.
The decision came after the applicant, Thomas Angelotti, and his architect, Brian Shojakley, presented revised plans that the board and staff said narrowed the encroachment and added a brick masonry facade, windows and landscaping. Mayor Pro Tem Soroka moved to grant the appeal, citing staff memos and a detailed consultant review and recommending conditions to limit visual impact.
The board’s legal discussion focused on whether the property’s irregular, “variable” front-yard setbacks along the block create a legal practical difficulty. The city attorney said the configuration of homes on the street could support that finding and that members of the appeals board are the fact-finders on the issue. In public remarks, Angelotti described personal reasons for the expansion and said the extra bay was needed to secure family vehicles; he told the board, “I’m concerned for her safety,” referring to his wife’s vehicle.
Not all council members agreed the case met the technical standard. One dissenting member argued that “safety and security is a personal issue, not a practical difficulty,” and said that granting a variance for security could invite similar requests from other homeowners.
The motion to approve included three explicit conditions: a brick masonry façade, windows to avoid a blank elevation, and a landscape plan. With those conditions on the record the board voted in favor and the motion carried. The applicant may now proceed with building-permit submittals consistent with the variance and the stated conditions.
The appeals packet cited city code section 402(2) and article 5 as the governing standards for the decision. The council/board did not record a roll-call tally by name in the minutes; the motion passed by voice vote.
The decision came after the applicant, Thomas Angelotti, and his architect, Brian Shojakley, presented revised plans that the board and staff said narrowed the encroachment and added a brick masonry facade, windows and landscaping. Mayor Pro Tem Soroka moved to grant the appeal, citing staff memos and a detailed consultant review and recommending conditions to limit visual impact.
The board’s legal discussion focused on whether the property’s irregular, “variable” front-yard setbacks along the block create a legal practical difficulty. The city attorney said the configuration of homes on the street could support that finding and that members of the appeals board are the fact-finders on the issue. In public remarks, Angelotti described personal reasons for the expansion and said the extra bay was needed to secure family vehicles; he told the board, “I’m concerned for her safety,” referring to his wife’s vehicle.
Not all council members agreed the case met the technical standard. One dissenting member argued that “safety and security is a personal issue, not a practical difficulty,” and said that granting a variance for security could invite similar requests from other homeowners.
The motion to approve included three explicit conditions: a brick masonry façade, windows to avoid a blank elevation, and a landscape plan. With those conditions on the record the board voted in favor and the motion carried. The applicant may now proceed with building-permit submittals consistent with the variance and the stated conditions.
The appeals packet cited city code section 402(2) and article 5 as the governing standards for the decision. The council/board did not record a roll-call tally by name in the minutes; the motion passed by voice vote.
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