Webster Groves Board of Adjustment approves setback variance for 849 Atlanta Avenue

The Webster Groves Board of Adjustment on Feb. 12 voted unanimously to grant a setback variance for 849 Atlanta Avenue, approving docket 2435 to allow most of a planned addition to sit 3.2 feet from the side property line while permitting a 1.68-foot setback for a chimney bump-out.

John Wagner, the city’s director of planning and development, told the board the property is zoned A4 and described the request as a variance to mirror an existing bump-out that is already 1.68 feet from the property line. Wagner said the house is a legal nonconforming structure and identified the application as docket 2435.

Neighbors offered competing views. Heidi Gares, who lives nearby and spoke in favor, said the proposed addition “is very much in keeping with the other homes on our block” and that earlier homeowners knew of the existing bump-out. Laura Finney, owner of 847 Atlanta, opposed the request and raised concerns about notice, drainage and safety access. “I don't see this variance request meets exceptional undue hardship,” Finney said, adding detailed complaints about drainage, temporary barriers she said have been placed on her driveway and the proximity of the houses.

Applicant Andrew Houghton responded that stormwater and drainage requirements will be handled through the city’s review process and the Architectural Review Board, and said the design choices reflect constraints posed by the house’s placement and the goal of preserving the structure’s character. “We wanna do our addition to improve our home, add some more space,” Houghton said.

During deliberations board members focused on whether the house’s placement on the lot — not the lot size itself — created a hardship by making the proposed layout difficult without the variance. Counsel and staff emphasized that variances run with the land and recommended precise motions tied to the submitted drawings to limit any future, broader interpretation.

A board member moved to approve the application “for the approval of the requested setback of 3.2 feet to align with the existing structure, allowing a 1.68 feet setback for the chimney only.” Another member seconded. The roll-call vote was recorded in the affirmative by Conrad Even, Randy Sprague, Jennifer Gates, Deb Salisbury and Tom Waltz, producing a 5-0 approval.

The chair told the applicants to follow up with city staff during regular business hours about next steps for permits and compliance. The board noted it would consider new evidence and neighbor impacts when appropriate but that specific technical issues such as stormwater management fall under separate city processes and approvals.