Board grants variance for small garage addition at 7 Edgewood Drive

The Royal Oak Zoning Board voted to grant a pair of variances Tuesday for a rear garage addition at 7 Edgewood Drive. Staff told the board the proposed 146‑square‑foot addition would bring the accessory building’s ground floor area to about 734 square feet and increase accessory lot coverage to about 12.8%, exceeding the ordinance’s 10% accessory‑structure limit.

Alex, a city planning staff member, told the board that the parcel’s overall lot coverage is 27.6%—below the 30% maximum for the zoning district—but that the accessory structure would surpass the ordinance’s accessory coverage threshold. Staff also reported the petitioner had provided correspondence from DTE approving the site’s clearance from overhead power lines.

Owner Alan, who said he has lived on the lot 25 years, told the board the addition is strictly for storage. “I have a 101‑year‑old tutor … my basement is shallow and the closets are what you’d expect in a 100‑year‑old house,” he said, asking the board to consider the home’s age and narrow lot when weighing practical difficulty.

Neighbor Joe Slatovich spoke in favor, describing construction details and fire‑separation measures he said the contractor would use.

Board members discussed whether the proposal met the required variance criteria and noted the DTE sign‑off and the addition’s limited visibility from neighbors. “Because this is so negligible over and because of his preexisting condition with his house … I’m going to go with the ask on that practical difficulty,” the chair said before the vote.

Clapp moved to approve the variances; Robinson seconded. The motion carried.

The approval permits the applicant to add the 146‑square‑foot rear storage space to the detached garage; the board recorded no conditions beyond standard permitting requirements. Staff asked the owner to submit the corrected existing‑garage dimensions to the planning office for the file before finalizing permit details.