Grantsville board recommends 10-foot setback variance for corner-lot garage

The Grantsville Board of Adjustment voted to recommend approval of a setback variance that would allow a corner-lot garage to sit 10 feet closer to the street than the standard 25-foot front-yard requirement, the board announced during its March 5 meeting at 429 East Main.

A city staff member told the board the proposal would place the building roughly 17 feet from the property line as measured on the site plan and that there are no utilities in the proposed construction area. "The staff doesn't have an issue," the staff member said, offering a positive recommendation to the board.

The applicant, identified in the record only as the resident seeking the variance, told the board he plans a roughly 20-by-25-foot garage near where his boat trailer and side-by-side are parked. "I had no idea that I had a 25-foot setback because we were the original people," the resident said, describing how the road and setbacks were established after his family built on the lot. He asked the board to allow a 10-foot reduction instead of the 8-foot reduction shown in the staff report so he would not need to remove an existing wooden fence.

Staff said measured setbacks on the plat produced a 17-foot distance from the property line, which corresponds to an 8-foot reduction from the 25-foot standard, but that the board could amend the staff recommendation. A staff motion to recommend approval of the agenda item with the change from an 8-foot to a 10-foot reduction was made by a city staff member and seconded by Chair Rick Stork.

The board recorded several verbal "aye" votes; one member was noted as not able to vote. The chair stated the motion met the required three-vote threshold and the recommendation carried. Following the vote, the resident said he would apply for the necessary permits.

The staff recommendation and the board's action apply to a corner lot located at the junction of Willow Street and Durfee, a small cul-de-sac described in the meeting as serving four houses. Board members and staff noted the compact, low-traffic character of the cul-de-sac in discussing neighborhood impact. A staff comment in the record referenced compliance with applicable state requirements on setbacks.

The meeting concluded with the board adjourning after completing the single agenda item.