JUNE UPDATE
By Marianne Hooker
At its June 1 meeting, the Hopewell Township Zoning Board of Adjustment granted two hardship variances for residential properties.
One of the variances will approve retroactively the construction of a deck at a property on Manley Drive, in Brandon Farms. The other variance will allow construction of a detached garage to replace an existing garage at a property on Minnietown Lane.
Rear yard setback variance for a deck John Forker, who lives at 54 Manley Drive in the R-5 zone, was requesting a rear yard setback variance of 11 feet, which would allow him to build a deck. The actual deck has been in existence for about five years. Mr. Forker said he received approval to build it from the Brandon Farms homeowners’ association. He did not realize at the time that he needed a variance from the township as well. He was applying for the variance, in order to correct the situation.
The deck measures 12 by 15 feet, and the stairs leading down from it extend out another 4 feet. The deck and the stairs together project 16 feet out from the back of the house. Mr. Forker said there are no houses in back of his property, because there is an easement there for a gas line. He said the deck was built with the proper footings, and he thought it would comply with the building codes.
There were no comments on this application from any members of the public. The board voted unanimously to approve the variance as requested. Board chairman William Connolly told Mr. Forker he had to apply for a building permit and have the deck inspected.
Side yard setback and height variances for a garage Todd Oldenburg, who lives in the MRC zone at 17 Minnietown Lane, was requesting a 9-foot side yard setback variance and a 1.6-foot height variance in order to replace an existing detached garage with a new one.
Mr. Oldenburg said the present garage was originally a shed, to which several additions were made over the years. The shed has an awkward shape that limits its usefulness as a garage. It is not in very good repair, and he did not think it would be worthwhile to try to fix it up.
Mr. Oldenburg said he bought the property about eight months ago. He collects classic cars, and he would like to have a large garage in which to keep them. He also would like to use the garage to store the family’s motor home, which would require a slightly higher roof than is normally allowed.
The proposed garage would have three bays, and it would not have any plumbing. The color scheme for the garage would be beige and ivory. It would be located about 120 feet away from the nearest occupied building. Mr. Oldenburg said he would like to build the new garage in the same place as the old one. This would enable the family to use the same driveway, and it would minimize the need to cut down any trees.
No one from the public offered any comments on the variance request. The board approved the application by a unanimous vote.
In other business, the board passed a resolution of memorialization to formalize its approval last month of an application by George and Christina Marko.