South Russell hearing approves variance for sunroom at 400 Deer Court

The South Russell Village hearing approved a variance allowing a sunroom addition at 400 Deer Court to be located 39 feet 6 inches from the rear property line, short of the 50-foot minimum in Section 4.02 of the South Russell Zoning Code.

The applicant, Chris Skoda of Skoda Construction, told the board the project would remove an existing, nonconforming deck and replace it with a fully walled sunroom. "No, we're going to remove that deck and put a sunroom in its place," Skoda said, adding that the homeowners "have a large family and they were hoping to have a solid extra space off their kitchen to be able to use it." Skoda said neighbor approval letters had been submitted to the board.

Board members asked for clarifications about property orientation on the corner lot and the extent of existing encroachment. The application says the proposed room footprint is 25 feet by 32 feet; the existing deck encroaches about 2 feet into the 50-foot setback, and the variance request was framed as 10 feet 4 inches to allow the addition to reach 39 feet 6 inches from the rear line. One board member raised a practical concern that measuring complications on the angled lot could require a slightly larger variance in some places if the structure sits differently than shown on preliminary plans.

A board member moved to approve the requested variance; another member seconded. The board recorded affirmative votes from Partner Tool, Cindy Matejka, John Budde and Lindsay Self and approved the motion. The board noted that HOA approval and formal building permits remain required before construction can begin.

The hearing centered on whether rear placement would preserve neighborhood character more than a side addition and on ensuring the approved relief would be sufficient given lot geometry. After the vote the board thanked the applicant and adjourned the meeting.