Commission grants variance for sunroom at 687 Carlton Drive

The Elgin Planning and Zoning Commission on March 2 granted a zoning variation for 687 Carlton Drive to allow a three-season sunroom to be built 27.6 feet from the rear property line, where the ordinance requires a 30-foot setback. The commission voted 7–0 to approve the variation.

Staff described the lot as approximately 11,500 square feet in an RC-1 (Residential Conservation) district and said the proposed sunroom would replace an existing structure in the exact same location and footprint. The proposed addition is described as approximately 12.5 feet deep by 10.5 feet wide (about 131 square feet). Staff said the property's subdivision has a 30-foot street-yard setback that reduces the rear yard relative to typical RC-1 standards, and that, after review against the approval standards, staff recommended the variance.

Zach, a general contractor with MB Home Services, told commissioners they would tear down the existing sunroom and rebuild one of the same size and location; "we're just taking the existing sunroom, tearing it down, and building a new one," he said. Commissioners complimented the proposed design and asked no substantive questions. Staff confirmed the new addition would be built to code and that required permits will ensure life-safety and building-code compliance.

A commissioner moved to approve petition 03-26 "subject to the conditions outlined within our packet and to adopt as the findings of the commission," a second was recorded, and staff called the roll; the motion passed 7–0. No members of the public spoke during the public-comment portion. The approval allows the applicant to proceed to apply for building permits; those permits will be subject to standard inspections and code compliance requirements.