Lebanon ZBA grants variance to Porter for 26x48 agricultural greenhouse

The Lebanon Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously granted a variance on Sept. 3 to the Porter Family Revocable Trust to locate a 26-by-48-foot agricultural greenhouse closer to property lines than required by section 313.3 of the zoning ordinance.

Carl Porter, the applicant, told the board the sloped nature of his property leaves limited flat areas and that the only practical site for the greenhouse is behind an earlier-approved chicken coop. He described planned utilities — tapping an existing water line and adding electricity via conduit from the coop — and said he has financing in place to proceed. "I need to build a 26 by 48 foot greenhouse," Porter said on the record.

Board members asked about siting, anchoring, the base pad and whether the greenhouse would be used year-round. Porter said the structure would be set on crushed stone with galvanized pipe anchoring and that it would be active seasonally, with some furnace use in the larger structure for early and late-season propagation. Staff reported no objections from neighbors; Porter said one bordering neighbor indicated no objection and his uncle (adjacent property) is a project partner.

Paul McDonough moved to grant the requested variances from section 313.3 based on testimony and submitted materials and recorded findings of fact that the property's slope and lack of flat land create a hardship; Rupert Bertan seconded. The board approved the motion unanimously and required the applicant to apply for a building permit as a condition of approval.

The board’s recorded conclusions of law state that the variance neither contravenes public interest nor diminishes surrounding property values, and that granting the variance provides substantial justice given the site's constraints.