Zoning board denies shed setback variance at 153 Scenic Ridge Drive, 3–2

The Peters Township Zoning Hearing Board denied a request to reduce side and rear yard setbacks for an accessory shed at 153 Scenic Ridge Drive after deliberation and a roll-call vote. Staff described the structure as 256 square feet and explained that township zoning allows structures of 240 sq ft or less to meet a 5-foot setback standard; anything larger must meet the 15-foot side/rear setback or obtain a variance. The board's motion to deny was recorded in the minutes and the decision will be memorialized in a written order within 45 days.

Applicant Craig Wright told the board he prefers a 16-by-16 structure and that reducing the porch or footprint could change the zoning implications. Planning staff clarified the township counts the enclosed shed and the attached covered porch as a single structure: "We count the entire structure...so whether that be the shed and the attached covered porch. That's all one structure," Gary King said. Board members pressed the applicant about alternatives (a smaller footprint that would avoid a variance) and about the quality of the applicant's submitted exhibits. The motion to deny carried by roll call (vote recorded as three in favor of denial and two opposed); the chair said a written decision will follow and noted parties retain appeal rights to the Court of Common Pleas of Washington County.

The board's discussion emphasized the distinction between a permitted outbuilding under the 240-square-foot threshold and larger structures that require setbacks, and members noted the hardship standard the board must apply in variance cases.